Former OSU football player charged in fatal crash in Dublin
DUBLIN, Ohio (WCMH) – Former Ohio State Football player Kirk Barton has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide in relation to a fatal crash that occurred in Dublin on Saturday morning.
Barton, 40, of Lewis Center, is suspected of driving a Ford F150 Raptor pickup truck "at a high rate of speed" eastbound on U.S. 33 before entering Historic Dublin just before 3 a.m. He then struck a Lexus on West Bridge Street, just west of Franklin Street, according to the City of Dublin.
The driver of the Lexus, 24-year-old Ethan Perry, was pronounced dead at the scene. Barton sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was later released from a local hospital into police custody.
Franklin County court records show Barton was charged with a second-degree felony count of aggravated vehicular homicide as the result of operating a vehicle under the influence. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday at 9 a.m.
The crash shut down West Bridge Street and North High Street in both directions, as well as the westbound portion of the State Route 161 and Riverside Drive roundabout. Roadways reopened at about 10:15 a.m.
Barton played football at Ohio State from 2003 to 2007. He has been charged with multiple traffic-related offenses in the past, court records show.