Ron Welch
Muskingum County Prosecutor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, February 1, 2024
Jury Convicts Blacklick Man of Vehicular Homicide
A 20-year-old Blacklick man was found guilty of vehicular homicide by a Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas jury after just 45 minutes of deliberating.
Dustin D. Howington, 20, of Blacklick, was found guilty of committing vehicular homicide on January 31. Common Pleas Court Judge Kelly Cottrill presided over the trial.
Howington was convicted of recklessly driving his van into the path of an oncoming motorcycle. The crime occurred on August 19, 2023, resulting in the death of James Sanor of Lancaster.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Gerald Anderson says he’s pleased with the verdict.
“I am thankful the victim's family received some sense of justice today, and that this reckless driver has been held responsible for killing an innocent man,” Anderson said. “The jury deliberated for 45 minutes before finding Dustin Howington guilty of driving recklessly and killing James Sanor. The jury stated that the video captured on a GoPro camera and the crash reconstruction report were the main factors that assisted them in their decision.”
Anderson says Howington’s conviction was a team effort.
“I would like to thank and recognize Sergeant Fred Cook of the Ohio State Highway Patrol who reconstructed the crash,” Anderson said. “He has provided outstanding work on numerous fatal crashes over the past two decades, and once again, was the major factor in securing justice for a victim of an impaired driver.”
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