JACKSON COUNTY, Ohio — An 18-year-old has pleaded guilty in connection with a 2025 crash that killed one off-duty Wellston police officer and seriously injured another.
The teen pleaded guilty Monday in Jackson County Juvenile Court to aggravated vehicular homicide, a second-degree felony, and aggravated vehicular assault, a third-degree felony.
The case stems from a crash that happened around 2 a.m. on Aug. 30, 2025, in Wellston. The defendant was 17 at the time.
According to information released in the case, the teen was driving a 2014 Hyundai Accent while intoxicated when the vehicle struck the rear of a golf cart traveling south on South Pennsylvania Avenue near Sixth Street.
The impact sent the golf cart off the roadway and into a tree.
Matthew Juniper, 25, of Wellston, was a passenger in the golf cart and suffered fatal injuries. Juniper had served with the Wellston Police Department for four years and previously worked as a deputy with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
The golf cart’s driver, 40-year-old Brant Derrow of Wellston, was seriously injured. Derrow is also a Wellston police officer.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol investigated the crash.
The case is being prosecuted by the Special Prosecutions Section of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. A disposition hearing, the juvenile court proceeding at which the court determines the outcome of the case, is scheduled for Nov. 5 at 3 p.m.
