‘She was taken from us’: Hamilton woman killed in alleged OVI crash remembered as mother, hairstylist

Perry’s husband, Jackie Reese, said she was just 20 feet from their home.

Officers booked Karen Ann Riegert, 62, into the Butler County Jail a few hours later on charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, failure to stop after an accident and OVI.

According to the report, Riegert was driving westbound and weaving. The vehicle went off the right side of the road and left of center several times, then struck Perry and fled.

Officers located Riegert at her home on Curtis Avenue, where she told them she had been to the Towne Pub had “four Seven and Sevens (alcoholic drinks),” according to the police report.

When she returned home, Riegert ate Salisbury steak and milk, but had not consumed any additional alcohol, according to police.

Officers told Riegert her vehicle had been involved in a crash, and she asked, “Where?” She then want to see the vehicle. Riegert went outside with officers and observed damage to her car parked at the curb.

“Defendant was unsteady on her feet,” an officer said in the report.

Riegert was taken into custody after officers performed field sobriety tests. Bond was set at $200,000 Thursday during arraignment in Hamilton Municipal Court. Riegert is scheduled back in court Jan. 29 for a preliminary hearing.

Reese said his wife was his soulmate and she loved their daughter, Katraha, “so very much.”

Perry was a cosmetologist but had been working at McDonald’s during the pandemic.

“She was very outgoing and was the best hairstylist the world will ever know,” Reese said.

He added she was artistic and was passionate about drawing.

Reese was on his way to their home and saw the blocked road. Officers there told him a person had been struck and killed.

“When I got home I called on Facebook and her phone about 30 times. No answer. I started to worry. I knew she walked along that street, a lot of people do,” he said.

Through social media and word-of-mouth, Reese said he learned the dead woman was carrying a backpack.

“I knew it was her,” he said while crying, adding Miranda received a new backpack as a Christmas gift.

When he got to Perry’s mother’s house, police were pulling up to inform her of the death.

“I just loved her so much,” Reese said. “She would do anything for her daughter. I was going to spend the rest of my life with her and she was taken from us.”