AKRON, Ohio — 26-year-old Michael Simbo of Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania, learned his fate today after previously pleading guilty to multiple charges involving a deadly 2021 crash in which two people were killed.
3News live-streamed the full sentencing, which can be watched in this story.
Simbo was sentenced to 11 years in prison, with a mandatory 6.5-year sentence.
Simbo was charged based on the following four counts:
- Count 1: Aggravated vehicular homicide: 42 months (F3)
- Count 2: Aggravated vehicular homicide 36 months (F3)
- Count 3: Vehicular assault: 18 months (F3)
- Count 4: Failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer: 36 months (F3)
All of the time is to be served consecutively.
It was also announced that Simbo will have his license suspended for 20 years.
The incident dates back to March of 2021 when troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol attempted to conduct a traffic stop after reporting a BMW driving more than 90 mph in the westbound lanes of I-80 in Trumbull County.
When the vehicle didn’t stop, a chase ensued with authorities saying the suspect’s vehicle reached speeds in excess of 100 mph.
At one point, the vehicle exited Route 8 in Summit County and traveled westbound on Boston Mills Road where officials called off the pursuit due to high speeds on the curved roadway.
Authorities later found the vehicle had crashed on Boston Mills Road after going off the street, striking a guardrail and overturning down an embankment.
Simbo, the driver, was taken to the hospital after the crash and later arrested.
Two passengers – 22-year-old Ramon Smith of Flint, Michigan, and 16-year-old Ari’onna Taylor of Chester, Pennsylvania – were both pronounced dead at the scene.
A third passenger, an 18-year-old woman, was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
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Editor's note: Video in the player above was originally published in an unrelated story on August 4, 2022.
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