The 15-year-old is in custody, while the 16-year-old remains hospitalized at West Chester Medical Center due to his injuries from the crash. The names of the teens are being withheld because of their ages.
Nicole Denney, 14, of Chestnut Hill Lane in West Chester Twp., was pronounced dead at the scene of a crash in Hamilton early Tuesday morning near the intersection of Mosler and Cornell avenues. Hamilton police have said previously that Denney’s 16-year-old boyfriend was driving a speeding 1994 Toyota Camry when he lost control and crashed into a tree around 1 a.m.
During a news conference on Thursday, Hamilton police gave more insight into the events leading up to the deadly crash.
Buns said both of the teenage boys — neither of whom has a driver’s license — were drag racing in stolen vehicles southbound on Mosler Avenue Tuesday morning just before the accident. Both vehicles were traveling about 50 miles per hour when the 2003 Mazda minivan the 15-year-old was driving clipped the back of Toyota Camry driven by the 16-year-old with Denney in the passenger seat. The impact caused the 16-year-old to swerve his car off the road into a picnic bench and then into a tree, according to police.
Buns said the 16-year-old was originally unconscious, but was believed to have been pulled from the mangled wreckage by the 15-year-old. Once conscious, the 16-year-old went back to the Toyota Camry to check on Denney and stayed there until police arrived. The 15-year-old fled the scene, Buns said.
The Toyota Camry was stolen from 2942 Gateway Drive in Fairfield Twp., and the Mazda minivan was taken from a residence on Clearview Avenue in Hamilton on Monday between 5:50 a.m. and 6 a.m., Buns said. Police are still unclear whether the teens stole the vehicles themselves, or if it was stolen by someone else prior to the joyride.
Buns said the 16-year-old and his parents have fully cooperated with police, but the 15-year-old’s parents have not been cooperating and had the intention of taking their son out of state. The 15-year-old has a prior police record, Buns said, and was arrested by Hamilton officers Wednesday around 11:15 a.m. near Harmon Avenue on a probation violation.
Rob Clevenger, Butler County Juvenile Court administrator said the 15-year-old was also charged with obstruction of offical business and possession of tobacco. He is housed at the juvenile detention center.
Buns said because of conflicting stories from the teens and their parents, investigators are still trying to determine how Denney met up with the boys. He said Denney’s father, Tim Denney, told police he brought his daughter to a coffee shop in West Chester, presumably for her to meet up with friends.
Denney, who was in eighth grade at Hopewell Junior School in the Lakota Local School District, was described as a hard-working, excellent student.
The 16-year-old was being home schooled and there was no information available about where the 15-year-old attended classes, according to police.
Buns said the two teens will appear in Butler County Juvenile Court, but he could not immediately specify a date. He said Hamilton police have been working closely with Fairfield Twp. and the Ohio State Highway Patrol on this case.
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