Ohio truck driver guilty of vehicular homicide in fiery I-70 crash sentenced

NEWARK, Ohio (WCMH) – A man who was found guilty of vehicular homicide after a fiery crash on Interstate 70 in 2023 learned his fate in court Monday morning.

Jacob McDonald, who was found guilty on six misdemeanor counts of vehicular homicide, announced a sentence of 180 days in prison for each count, to be served consecutively, Monday morning for his role in a fatal chain reaction crash on I-70 in Licking County.

The maximum aggregate sentencing for the six counts of vehicular manslaughter, however, is 18 months, which is what Judge David Branstool later clarified in his ruling. After receiving credit for time served, 323 days, McDonald's remaining sentence is just over seven months, or 217 days.

"There is no sentence that I can impose today or in the event that he had been convicted of more serious offenses that would have satisfied the victims of this offense, I get that," Branstool said.

McDonald, 61, faced 26 total charges, including six third-degree felony counts of aggravated vehicular manslaughter, nine fourth-degree felony counts of vehicular assault and 11 first-degree misdemeanor counts of assault. He was found guilty of the lessor offenses on May 16.

Judge David Branstool said that he felt the state did not prove McDonald acted recklessly beyond a reasonable doubt, thus reducing the aggravated vehicular homicide charges.

The trial stemmed from a crash that occurred on Nov. 14, 2023, when McDonald was driving a semi-truck that collided with a charter bus carrying students and chaperones from Tuscarawas Valley Middle-High School in eastern Ohio. Six people connected to the school, including three high school students, died.

Pronounced dead at the scene from the bus were students John Mosley, 18, of Mineral City; Jeffery Worrell, 18, of Bolivar; and Katelyn Owens, 15, of Mineral City. Occupants of the SUV that was driving in front of the semi — Dave Kennat, 56, of Navarre; Kristy Gaynor, 39, of Zoar; and Shannon Wigfield, 45, of Bolivar — were also pronounced dead. Kennat was a teacher, and Gaynor and Wigfield were parents serving as chaperones

Eighteen witnesses testified for the state, including passengers on the bus at the time of the crash, first responders and a car crash reconstruction expert. McDonald’s defense attorney Chris Brigdon called two witnesses: an engineer who works on collision reconstructions and a digital forensic analyst.

Chief Felony Prosecutor Clifford Murphy stated there were no adverse weather conditions the day of the crash that could have impacted McDonald’s driving and pointed out AT&T records show McDonald’s cellphone was using data just before the crash, implying he could have been distracted by his device.

Brigdon argued that actions such as automatic updates or streaming audio books are flagged as data usage, and AT&T could not determine whether the device was being actively used.

Data usage from McDonald’s phone showed a peak usage of 39.8 megabytes per minute roughly 10 minutes before the crash, according to the NTSB investigation. The report compares this to someone streaming high-definition videos, which uses 41.7 megabytes per minute. It is unclear if this means he was actively manipulating his phone. Data usage from his phone at the time of the crash could not be retrieved because it was destroyed in the collision.

The NTSB report revealed McDonald had nine prior traffic violations from 2003 to 2022, for offenses such as speeding or following too closely. In one incident in March 2022, he was pulled over in Indiana while driving 75 mph in a 60-mph zone. The law enforcement officer who pulled him over said at the time that McDonald’s phone was open to a video game, but he was unable to prove McDonald had been using the game while driving.

A report by the Ohio Department of Public Safety claimed McDonald was trailing too closely in traffic and failed to slow down before the crash. In an interview with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, McDonald told investigators that he did not remember the moments leading to the crash.

Several family members of the victims read prepared statements for around an hour in court Monday morning before sentencing, many of which scolded Judge Branstool for what they deemed to be a light sentence.

“I’m here to tell you, Branstool, you’re a disgrace, and this ruling is horrendous,” one man said during his statement.

The law firm representing the family of Shannon Wigfield also released a statement, which read in part, "While we respect the court’s decision, today’s sentence was difficult for Shannon Wigfield’s family to accept. A total of 18 months in prison for a crash that took six lives, including a cherished mother and teacher, is inadequate. We are thankful, however, that the court acknowledged Mr. McDonald’s responsibility. This tragedy was completely avoidable. Our pursuit of justice is far from over."

McDonald had been in jail on a $1 million bond since he was arrested in July 2024 and defense counsel asked that he be sentenced to time served and probation. McDonald also made a statement expressing his remorse and offered prayers to the victims families and their families.

"I pray every night for every single one of you and everyone involved you can’t say I don't have remorse because i do," McDonald said. "Every day i live i have remorse."

Judge Brantstool also suspended McDonald's license for five years. He will be released from prison on January 9, 2026.