Former subway driver has to pay a fine

The city of Cincinnati is demanding that the former Metro bus driver who struck and killed a retired teacher in January be sentenced to six months in prison and have his driver's license revoked for five years.

That sentence – plus a $1,000 fine – is the most Deon Willis can receive after pleading guilty to vehicular manslaughter in July.

Willis will be sentenced Thursday in Hamilton County Municipal Court. He lost his job with Metro on June 11 after the transit agency found he violated turning regulations, “resulting in a preventable pedestrian accident.”

Willis struck 87-year-old Beverly Kinney on Jan. 11 as she was taking one of her daily walks, crossing Duck Creek Road at Dana Avenue in Hyde Park. In his appeal of Metro's ruling in the case, he said he could not remember the details of the accident and did not see Kinney in the crosswalk.

Members of Kinney's family are expected to give victim impact statements at sentencing. Judge Samantha Silverstein will also consider a pre-trial evaluation of Willis when determining his sentence.

Kinney is one of two pedestrians struck and killed by Metro buses this year. She is among dozens injured in or by buses and by poor driving by drivers over the past decade, according to an Enquirer investigation published earlier this week.

In a sentencing memo to the court, Willis' attorney argued against a prison sentence and in favor of probation for his client.

Attorney Richard Goldberg referred to the 2016 case of former subway driver Tyrone Patrick, who hit and killed Stephen Frank in Hyde Park and was released on parole.

Willis acted negligently and carelessly in killing Kinney, the memo said, but not intentionally or recklessly. The memo described Kinney's death as a “tragic case” that left Willis “constantly troubled” and in therapy.

In response, the city said Willis deserved a harsher sentence than Patrick because Willis was driving without a license when he struck Kinney, causing a crash in 2016 that left a motorist paralyzed.

“This is more than just a traffic accident and should be taken as seriously as the state requires,” city prosecutors wrote in their filing this week.

A possible fine for Willis was not mentioned in the city's memo.

The sentencing hearing will begin at 1:00 p.m. in the Hamilton County Courthouse, 1000 Main St., Room 280.

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