LISBON, OH : EP teen enters not guilty plea in deadly crash on Thursday, December 8th 2016

Jacob Chamberlain, the teen accused as the driver in a traffic crash which killed a classmate and injured a friend last spring, appeared for arraignment before Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge C. Ashley Pike on Thursday.

Chamberlain, 18, Bacon Avenue, East Palestine, was represented by Edward Czopur, a defense attorney from Mahoning County, who works in the same law firm as Ronald Yarwood. Czopur entered a not guilty plea on behalf of Chamberlain, who is not in custody and his bond remains at $25,000 recognizance.

Yarwood reportedly will be representing Chamberlain at later hearings and already represented him in Columbiana County Municipal Court, where Chamberlain was initially charged with OVI first offense, improper registration, failure to control, possession of drugs and possession of instruments to ingest/inhale controlled substances. Those charges have been dismissed in municipal court after Chamberlain was indicted by the Columbiana County Common Pleas Court grand jury in November.

The new charges against Chamberlain are two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, two counts of aggravated vehicular assault and three counts of OVI.

The charges stem from the May 27 crash, when Chamberlain driving a 2004 Chevrolet Impala northbound on Creek Road around 12:32 a.m. went left of center before leaving the roadway and striking the ditch and a tree, resulting in the death of his classmate Timothy Walton, 18, of New Waterford. Chamberlain, who had just turned 18 five days earlier, left the scene and walked past several nearby homes before going to a home where friends lived. Others reportedly stopped to help and both Walton and another passenger, Crestview alumni Tyler S. Barnes, 21, of New Waterford, were taken to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital for their injuries. Walton was pronounced dead at the hospital about five hours later.

Both Chamberlain and Walton were to graduate from Crestview High School two days later.

The aggravated vehicular homicide charges are in relation to Walton’s death and aggravated vehicular assault are due to Barnes’ injuries. His OVI charges stem from his alleged consumption of alcohol and marijuana prior to the crash in which he was reportedly traveling at nearly 75 miles per hour before impact.

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EP teen enters not guilty plea in deadly crash