Ohio

Drunk Driver With 36 License Suspensions Crashed; Wife Dies

Robert Ellis is "one of the worst habitual repeat offenders of drunk driving we have seen,” the sheriff's office said. “He has no regard for human life"

habitual drunk driver's mugshot
Franklin County Sheriff's Office

An Ohio man with 36 driving suspensions and a dozen charges of operating under the influence has been indicted in the death of his wife in an October car crash, NBC News reports.

Robert Lee Ellis, 53, of Columbus, Ohio, was indicted on four charges on Monday, including aggravated vehicular homicide and operating a vehicle under the influence, police announced Wednesday. It is the 13th time he has been charged with operating under the influence.

“While investigating this fatal traffic crash it was very clear to investigators that Mr. Ellis is one of the worst habitual repeat offenders of drunk driving we have seen,” the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “He has no regard for human life.”

On Oct. 16, Ellis was driving around a curve when he struck a utility pole in Prairie Township, about 14 miles west of Columbus. His 51-year-old wife, Dawn Ellis, a passenger, was declared dead at the scene, Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin said in a statement at the time. Neither person in the car was wearing a seat belt.

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