Police reports also are not available, most likely caused by the city’s ongoing cybersecurity attack. The city has not answered specific questions the Journal-News has asked about what information was accessed, which is not unusual, according to cybersecurity experts.
Stephen Howard, 58, was the lone victim of the crash, which occurred at 2:06 a.m. Aug. 23 at Central Avenue and The Alameda. Howard was pronounced dead at 4:40 a.m., according to the Butler County Coroner’s Office.
Family members and friends attended Tuesday’s council meeting on behalf of Stephen, asking for more transparency and answers.
Veronica Howard, Stephen’s daughter, said she hopes to bring awareness to her father’s death to “prevent this happening to other people.”
One of the speakers, Valerie Hamilton, used to work for the city of Middletown.
“One thing I know is that whenever there is a major incident, that might cause a little heartache, councilmembers are aware, they are made aware of what the situation is,” she said. “I can’t give you any grace for saying that you don’t know.”
Mayor Elizabeth Slamka was not aware of the fatal crash until Stephen’s family told her before Tuesday’s meeting, and Councilwoman Jennifer Carter and Vice Mayor Steve West said they were not informed of the incident for multiple days.
Credit: Bryn Dippold
Credit: Bryn Dippold
“It’s not typical that council would be told every infraction in the city or potentially...these kind of scenarios,” West said. “That’s not standard.”
He said he was “surprised” the media did not pick up the story, but police records have been unavailable online to the public and the media due to the ongoing cybersecurity issues.
Veronica said she understands the reduced capabilities of the city in regard to police records and communication.
“(The city) should be writing these things down,” Veronica said. “If you’re not doing that, then you’re failing everybody. It’s not just my dad. It’s anybody that’s been hurt.”
West said offered his phone number to those who did speak, saying, “If there’s anything that (the council) can do to help you through this, we’d be more than willing to hear you out and do what we can.”
Slamka, West, Carter and Councilman Paul Lolli shared condolences for the family. Councilman Paul Horn did not comment.
“I am very, very confident in this city council and our city manager, our police chief and the Middletown prosecutors that they will make that this is investigated in its entirety and the conclusion will come down to the facts...I will assure you that nothing will be swept under the rug,” Lolli said.
Following the meeting, Veronica and Kimberly Silas, a close family friend of the Howard family, were surprised councilmembers and the mayor were not aware of the fatal crash until days later.
Veronica said she was concerned the case would “slip through the cracks,” but Police Chief Earl Nelson said charges are expected against the other driver, though the driver has not been arrested.
“What we don’t want to do is go to court without having all the evidence that we need to get a conviction,” he said.
Impairment is suspected for the other driver involved in the crash, but to what level, the police do not know yet. Whether alcohol or drugs caused the impairment is not known and is pending lab reports.
On questions of transparency, Nelson said, “We are being transparent...there are some things that we just can’t say to protect the integrity of the case. But any family member who wants to come down here to talk to us and try to get whatever details they want...we will talk to them. We have spoken with several family members, several times, and kept them updated.”
Nelson said he understood why Stephen’s family attended the meeting.
“He is a beloved member of the community,” he said. “They wanted more answers than what we can give right now.”
The case will be presented directly to a Butler County Grand Jury for a possible indictment, according to Nelson.
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