Dehaas pleads guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide
Lead Summary
By
Brandy Chandler-brandychandler@gmail.com
After pleading guilty on a charge of aggravated vehicular homicide, the defendant broke down, wiping tears from his face with his tattoo-covered arm, as victims called him a "murderer" and a "coward" who does "Satan's work," and that "God will have vengeance."
Kevin Dehaas, 21, of Hillsboro, pleaded guilty in Highland County Common Pleas Court Wednesday to one count of third-degree felony aggravated vehicular homicide. He had been indicted in March on a second-degree felony charge of aggravated vehicular homicide. The charge was reduced as a result of the plea.
As part of the plea agreement, Dehaas agreed to be sentenced to the maximum of five years in prison and a lifetime suspension of driving privileges.
Dehaas was driving southbound on state Route 138 in a 1996 Saturn on Sept. 17, 2010 when he allegedly attempted to pass a Chevrolet Cavalier, driven by Mickey Berry, 23, of Hillsboro, according to a report from the Wilmington Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Henry Stroop, 64, of Lynchburg, was driving northbound on state Route 138 in a 2008 PT Cruiser and was struck head-on by both vehicles, according the Post.
Prior to sentencing, the court heard victim impact statements from Stroop's family members, who all wore buttons with his picture. Many of them could not contain tears as they heard Dehaas enter his guilty plea, and as their family members addressed the court.
"Kevin Dehaas. So you are the widow-maker," said the wife of Henry Stroop. "You killed my husband, Henry Stroop, just for the pure joy of it. You are a coward. You do Satan's work. I look at you and I want to hate you, but my Lord will not let me. So you are now famous with your face on the front pages of the newspaper and on TV. So what are you proud of? You also disgraced your own family, as well. To have such a son, they are also victims."
She said that Dehaas was arrogant and that her husband was a good man who died too soon because of his actions. She referenced the defendant's many tattoos, saying that he had "respect" on his arm but showed no respect to the court or to her husband.
"My husband is a Christian, a God-fearing man, such a man you would not even be fit to shine his shoes," she said. "My children have lost the best dad, and my grandchildren ask, 'Why did Papaw go to heaven?' The missing and loving of this man will always be. Now I wait to join him in heaven, my soulmate."
She said that experts had said that her husband would live into his 80s, which meant that he died 17 years too soon. She feels that a just punishment would be for Dehaas to spend 17 years in prison, although she knows that will not happen.
"My husband would tell me, 'I am happy, I am with Jesus.' But he would have been just the same 17 years later," she said. "So now we get our justice, and God has his vengeance. You should be afraid. Very afraid. So if I never hear your sinful name again, I shall be blessed. When you killed my husband, in his pocket, he had this: 'The key to heaven was hung on the cross.' Do you even know what that means? Do you care? No, you don't."
Stroop's daughter addressed Dehaas, saying, "I am the daughter of the man you killed."
She said that for the last 10 months she has thought about what she would say to Dehas, but now that she has the opportunity, she cannot because, "My dad would not be proud." In addition to bearing the death of her father, she has now had to watch her mother become, "half the person she was. Do you know what it's like for me and my brother to watch her smell my dad's clothes that he wore ... To hear her say that she only wants to be here long enough to see justice served? When you lay your filthy head on your filthy pillow in your filthy prison cell, know that you have not met your final judgment."
Another family member also spoke, saying that she had at one time taken Dehaas in and she had wrongfully put her trust in him.
"I gave you shelter when you had none. I gave you food when you had nothing to eat. I gave you money when you had none. You promised me during those times that you were not the man you were when you were incarcerated before, that you had changed, that you wanted to do right ... I am so, so sorry that I trusted you."
Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins said that the plea agreement was something that she and Stroop's family members had taken very seriously, and that the family was OK with the agreement. Additionally, she had also spoken with the OSHP trooper who investigated the crash, and that he was OK with the agreement as well.
Collins said that at the time of the crash, an alcohol screen showed Dehaas tested negative, and the hospital did not perform a drug screen.
She said that the rate of speed in which Dehaas was driving was "excessive."
Counsel for the defendant, J.D. Wagoner, said that Dehaas wanted to take responsibility for what he did and he suggested the plea agreement.
Dehaas was given an opportunity to address the court, and he turned to face Stroop's family members.
"I am truly sorry for the loss of Mr. Stroop," he said. "I know what it's like to lose someone ... I have to take responsibility for my actions."
Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss sentenced Dehaas to five years in prison, with a lifetime suspension of driving privileges. He is to begin serving the sentence immediately with 127 days of jail time credit.
Berry also appeared in court Wednesday for a pretrial hearing with his attorney Bruce Wallace. He is scheduled for trial Sept. 12-14.
After pleading guilty on a charge of aggravated vehicular homicide, the defendant broke down, wiping tears from his face with his tattoo-covered arm, as victims called him a "murderer" and a "coward" who does "Satan's work," and that "God will have vengeance."
Kevin Dehaas, 21, of Hillsboro, pleaded guilty in Highland County Common Pleas Court Wednesday to one count of third-degree felony aggravated vehicular homicide. He had been indicted in March on a second-degree felony charge of aggravated vehicular homicide. The charge was reduced as a result of the plea.
As part of the plea agreement, Dehaas agreed to be sentenced to the maximum of five years in prison and a lifetime suspension of driving privileges.
Dehaas was driving southbound on state Route 138 in a 1996 Saturn on Sept. 17, 2010 when he allegedly attempted to pass a Chevrolet Cavalier, driven by Mickey Berry, 23, of Hillsboro, according to a report from the Wilmington Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Henry Stroop, 64, of Lynchburg, was driving northbound on state Route 138 in a 2008 PT Cruiser and was struck head-on by both vehicles, according the Post.
Prior to sentencing, the court heard victim impact statements from Stroop's family members, who all wore buttons with his picture. Many of them could not contain tears as they heard Dehaas enter his guilty plea, and as their family members addressed the court.
"Kevin Dehaas. So you are the widow-maker," said the wife of Henry Stroop. "You killed my husband, Henry Stroop, just for the pure joy of it. You are a coward. You do Satan's work. I look at you and I want to hate you, but my Lord will not let me. So you are now famous with your face on the front pages of the newspaper and on TV. So what are you proud of? You also disgraced your own family, as well. To have such a son, they are also victims."
She said that Dehaas was arrogant and that her husband was a good man who died too soon because of his actions. She referenced the defendant's many tattoos, saying that he had "respect" on his arm but showed no respect to the court or to her husband.
"My husband is a Christian, a God-fearing man, such a man you would not even be fit to shine his shoes," she said. "My children have lost the best dad, and my grandchildren ask, 'Why did Papaw go to heaven?' The missing and loving of this man will always be. Now I wait to join him in heaven, my soulmate."
She said that experts had said that her husband would live into his 80s, which meant that he died 17 years too soon. She feels that a just punishment would be for Dehaas to spend 17 years in prison, although she knows that will not happen.
"My husband would tell me, 'I am happy, I am with Jesus.' But he would have been just the same 17 years later," she said. "So now we get our justice, and God has his vengeance. You should be afraid. Very afraid. So if I never hear your sinful name again, I shall be blessed. When you killed my husband, in his pocket, he had this: 'The key to heaven was hung on the cross.' Do you even know what that means? Do you care? No, you don't."
Stroop's daughter addressed Dehaas, saying, "I am the daughter of the man you killed."
She said that for the last 10 months she has thought about what she would say to Dehas, but now that she has the opportunity, she cannot because, "My dad would not be proud." In addition to bearing the death of her father, she has now had to watch her mother become, "half the person she was. Do you know what it's like for me and my brother to watch her smell my dad's clothes that he wore ... To hear her say that she only wants to be here long enough to see justice served? When you lay your filthy head on your filthy pillow in your filthy prison cell, know that you have not met your final judgment."
Another family member also spoke, saying that she had at one time taken Dehaas in and she had wrongfully put her trust in him.
"I gave you shelter when you had none. I gave you food when you had nothing to eat. I gave you money when you had none. You promised me during those times that you were not the man you were when you were incarcerated before, that you had changed, that you wanted to do right ... I am so, so sorry that I trusted you."
Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins said that the plea agreement was something that she and Stroop's family members had taken very seriously, and that the family was OK with the agreement. Additionally, she had also spoken with the OSHP trooper who investigated the crash, and that he was OK with the agreement as well.
Collins said that at the time of the crash, an alcohol screen showed Dehaas tested negative, and the hospital did not perform a drug screen.
She said that the rate of speed in which Dehaas was driving was "excessive."
Counsel for the defendant, J.D. Wagoner, said that Dehaas wanted to take responsibility for what he did and he suggested the plea agreement.
Dehaas was given an opportunity to address the court, and he turned to face Stroop's family members.
"I am truly sorry for the loss of Mr. Stroop," he said. "I know what it's like to lose someone ... I have to take responsibility for my actions."
Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss sentenced Dehaas to five years in prison, with a lifetime suspension of driving privileges. He is to begin serving the sentence immediately with 127 days of jail time credit.
Berry also appeared in court Wednesday for a pretrial hearing with his attorney Bruce Wallace. He is scheduled for trial Sept. 12-14.
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