ZANESVILLE, Ohio (AVC News) — A Westerville man has been sentenced to six to nine years in prison after pleading no contest to charges stemming from a 2025 crash that killed another driver in Muskingum County.
Michael Morgan, 58, appeared before Muskingum County Common Pleas Court Judge Kelly Cottrill on Sept. 1 for sentencing.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol responded in April 2025 to a two-vehicle crash on State Route 146 near milepost 5. Investigators determined Morgan’s 2022 Ram pickup crossed the center line and struck a 2014 Ford Explorer, killing the driver.
During the investigation, troopers found a prescription bottle and alprazolam pills in Morgan’s truck. According to prosecutors, Morgan acknowledged taking the medication and troopers observed bloodshot eyes and slurred speech during interactions with him.
Morgan told investigators he was reaching for gummy bears he had dropped while driving when the crash occurred.
A urine sample collected at the hospital and analyzed by the Ohio State Highway Patrol crime lab showed a 0.136 alcohol result, along with the presence of alprazolam, according to prosecutors.
During a suppression hearing Aug. 31, Assistant Prosecutors Warren Edwards and James Hughes argued the evidence of Morgan’s alleged intoxication should be admitted. Judge Cottrill denied Morgan’s motion to exclude the test results.
Morgan subsequently pleaded no contest to all four charges in case No. CR2025-0543: aggravated vehicular homicide, a second-degree felony; aggravated vehicular homicide, a third-degree felony; and two counts of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, first-degree misdemeanors.
The court found Morgan guilty of all four counts.
Judge Cottrill sentenced Morgan to six to nine years in prison, followed by up to three years of mandatory post-release control. Morgan also received a lifetime driver’s license suspension.
During sentencing, the victim’s family remembered her as a daughter, sister, wife, mother and friend who dedicated her life to helping others, including foster children.
Assistant Prosecutor Edwards said no punishment could adequately address the loss of an innocent life but expressed hope that Morgan’s accountability would provide the family with some measure of closure.
Last Updated on September 3, 2026 by AVC News
