Toledo man enters plea in fatal rollover crash

10/9/2018

A Toledo man admitted Tuesday to causing a single-car rollover crash in 2017 that killed a woman.

On Tuesday, Phillip Pope, 31, of the 1000 block of Indiana, entered an Alford plea — not admitting guilt — to aggravated vehicular assault, a third-degree felony, and carrying a concealed weapon, a lesser misdemeanor offense.

Pope was driving on Feb. 22, 2017, in the left lane of northbound I-75 heading toward westbound I-475 when he traveled off the side of the road, causing his vehicle to roll several times. Shaunta Gaston, 30, a passenger in his back seat, later died after she was ejected from the vehicle and pinned underneath it.

As part of Pope’s plea, a second-degree felony of aggravated vehicular assault will be dismissed at sentencing on Oct. 31 by Judge Linda Jennings in Lucas County Common Pleas Court. Pope faces up to 5 years in prison.