Woman pleads not guilty for role in fatal Anthony Wayne crash

12/4/2008

A South Toledo woman accused of causing the chain-reaction crash on the Anthony Wayne Trail in October that killed two boys on their way to school pleaded not guilty Thursday in Toledo Municipal Court, authorities said.

Theresa Holman, 56, of 5767 Cresthaven Lane was charged with two counts of vehicular manslaughter, both second-degree misdemeanors. If convicted, she faces up to six months in jail.

Authorities said Ms. Holman was inbound on the Trail, just north of the Toledo Zoo, about 8:30 a.m. Oct. 20 when she lost control of her vehicle. Witnesses said she crossed the median and entered outbound lanes, causing a chain-reaction crash.

Killed in the crash were Zyeri White, 5, and his uncle, Devine Chatman, 11, who were both students at Harvard Elementary School in South Toledo.

Six vehicles were involved in the crash. Zyeri and Devine were passengers in a car that was struck by Ms. Holman s vehicle, sending the boys car airborne, eventually landing on its roof. The boys were taken to Toledo Hospital, where they later were pronounced dead.

Quaja Butler, 6, also was a passenger in the car driven by her mother, Quavonne Porter, 25, of 819 Lincoln Ave. Ms. Porter remains in Toledo Hospital.