Driver sentenced for fatal collision; Extra term given in drug case

11/9/2012

A central Toledo man found guilty of causing a fatal collision nearly a year ago in West Toledo has been sentenced in Lucas County Common Pleas Court to a total of five years in prison.

Miguel Hamilton, 35, of 1210 Peck St. was sentenced Tuesday to four years after pleading no contest last week to aggravated vehicular homicide.

Judge Frederick McDonald also sentenced him to one year for an unrelated charge of tampering with evidence.

The judge ordered that they be served consecutively and suspended Hamilton’s driver’s license for 20 years.

Hamilton was found guilty of causing a crash that killed Joseph Bialecki, 31, of Toledo, who was westbound on Sylvania Avenue at 2:20 p.m. on Nov. 13 when Hamilton’s vehicle, which was northbound on Detroit Avenue, ran a red light and broadsided his car.

While that case was pending, Hamilton was arrested July 12 after his involvement in a fight. While being booked at the county jail in that case, officers found him trying to swallow a packet containing 2.93 grams of cocaine and 0.65 gram of heroin that had been hidden on his body.

Originally charged with cocaine possession, cocaine trafficking, heroin possession, illegal conveyance of drugs into a detention facility, and tampering with evidence, Hamilton pleaded no contest to the tampering charge, and the other counts were dismissed. Also dismissed was a second, alternate count of aggravated vehicular homicide.