Khalid James was not legally allowed to be driving when he killed a 72-year-old motorist last year while fleeing from a sheriff’s deputy.
James, in fact, was wanted by authorities that day in connection with multiple cases – three traffic violations, a misdemeanor assault and a probation violation in a 2019 drunken driving case. His driver’s license already was suspended.
In the assault case, according to prosecutors, James was accused of choking and striking a woman. He was arrested in March 2023 but after posting bond, didn’t appear in court, so a warrant was issued. In the driving while intoxicated case, prosecutors say he violated probation by refusing treatment and missing a driving program appointment.
James was scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 16 in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court for the September 2024 crash that killed Ricky Mills. But James, who posted bond and was not being held in jail, showed up 17 minutes late for the 1:30 sentencing. Moments before, Judge Alison Hatheway had issued a warrant for his arrest.
Hatheway rescheduled the hearing for Nov. 5, and James was escorted out of the courtroom by a deputy and taken to the county jail, where he will be held until then.
James pleaded guilty in August to charges including aggravated vehicular homicide.
Prosecutors are asking Hatheway to impose a prison sentence of 11 to 15 years. James’ attorney has asked for a sentence of two years and nine months.
The crash happened on Sept. 16, 2024. According to prosecutors, Mills, who was retired, volunteered at a local park and was driving home to his wife.
At around the same time, James was being pursued by a Hamilton County sheriff’s deputy. The car James was driving had a dozen arrest warrants associated with it, officials have said.
During a chase that began in Colerain Township and lasted 1½ minutes, prosecutors say James’ car sideswiped a vehicle and then drove through a red light at Kemper and Pippin roads at about 90 mph, striking a Ford Fusion driven by Mills.
The 72-year-old had just started moving through the intersection when the collision happened.
Because James “didn’t want to go to jail, Ricky Mills is dead,” Assistant Prosecutor Elyse Deters said in documents filed in advance of the sentencing. “What could have been a capias recall turned into a complete tragedy.”
In sentencing documents, James’ attorney, Bryan Perkins, said James made “a terrible decision” and is “deeply remorseful for his actions.” He noted that James was seriously injured in the crash and had to undergo physical therapy to be able to walk again.
Perkins also focused on how important James is to his son, who was born in 2012. Perkins included 11 photos in the sentencing documents that show James and his son. James’ job involves electromechanical assembly, Perkins said, but he was close to completing a software engineering program when the crash happened.
Perkins characterized James as a first-time offender. He said a minimum sentence of two years and nine months was appropriate “considering Khalid’s background, lack of record, marketable skills, the needs of his family and the unlikelihood of Khalid committing future crimes.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Prosecutors seek 11-year sentence for man who killed park volunteer while fleeing deputy
Reporting by Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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