Truck driver will plead guilty to felonies from I-70 crash that killed 4 children

RICHMOND, Ind. — The truck driver involved in an Interstate 70 crash that killed four children has filed notice that he intends to plead guilty to nine related felony charges.

Corey Robert Withrow, 32, of Camden, Ohio, is charged with four counts of causing death and one count of causing catastrophic injury when operating a vehicle while intoxicated, all as Level 4 felonies, and with four counts of reckless homicide, all Level 5 felonies. Withrow was scheduled for trial Nov. 1, but a Jan. 24 mercy plea hearing has now been scheduled instead, according to case records.

Withrow is currently incarcerated in Ohio, and Judge Charles Todd Jr. has ordered an intent notice with Withrow's signature be filed by Nov. 8.

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In Preble County, Ohio, Withrow was sentenced Sept. 15, 2020, to three years of incarceration for violating community control requirements from a burglary conviction. He is serving the sentence at the Southeastern Correctional Institution in Lancaster, Ohio, according to Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction records.

Jan. 18, 2023, is Withrow's expected release date; however, he has filed a motion to receive judicial release. A hearing on that motion is scheduled for Nov. 22.

The Wayne County charges resulted from a July 9, 2020, accident at a construction zone about the 137 mile marker of eastbound Interstate 70. A witness said Withrow was driving his semi-tractor trailer erratically as he approached slowed traffic merging into a single lane because of the construction, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

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The GPS of Withrow's truck shows it was traveling 72 miles per hour when it struck a rented Chevrolet Impala and shoved the car into a second truck, then into the median. The car caught fire, the affidavit said.

The Impala's seriously injured driver was pulled from the burning car; however, his four children ages 15, 13, 8 and 6 could not be rescued, according to the affidavit.

Withrow showed symptoms of impairment after the crash, and toxicology tests revealed the presence of cannabis, amphetamines and MDMA (ecstasy) in Withrow's system, the affidavit said.

Withrow has a history of drug-related and other charges in several western Ohio counties, according to court records, including aggravated possession of drugs and possession of heroin convictions in Preble County.

If Withrow pleads guilty as a mercy plea, his sentence will be argued before a judge, who will make the sentencing decision. The standard sentence for a Level 4 felony conviction is six years with a range of two to 12 years, while a Level 5 felony conviction carries a three-year standard sentence and a range of one to six years.