ROSS COUNTY — A Ross County grand jury has indicted a Waverly man in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash that claimed the life of a 49-year-old man in January.
According to the Ross County Sheriff’s Office, Martin Howard was indicted on charges including vehicular homicide and failure to stop after an accident involving a death.
The charges stem from a Jan. 10 crash in the 5800 block of Denver Road. Investigators say 49-year-old Joshua R. Hopkins was struck and killed around 8 p.m. when a vehicle reportedly left the roadway and entered his yard. Authorities said the driver fled the scene following the crash.
During the investigation, detectives developed information that the suspect vehicle was believed to be a truck. On Jan. 16, a Ross County detective received information from the Pike County Sheriff’s Office regarding a disorderly incident on Pennington Road that could be connected to the fatal crash.
Detectives responded to 1346 Pennington Road, where they located a black Ford F-250 parked in the driveway. Authorities said the vehicle belonged to Howard.
Howard was subsequently arrested and has been held at the Ross County Jail. Following presentation of evidence, a Ross County grand jury returned the indictment formalizing the charges.
Ross County Sheriff George W. Lavender Jr. previously described the incident as a devastating loss for the victim’s family and thanked the public for assistance during the investigation.
Authorities said the case remains pending in Ross County Common Pleas Court.
