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Man who drove into family near zoo, killing girl, sentenced to 14 years in prison

Kevin Grasha
Cincinnati Enquirer
Khloe Pitts

Khloe Pitts was holding hands with her parents as they crossed Vine Street the night of Nov. 26, 2016.

They were walking home from the Cincinnati Zoo's Festival of Lights.

All three were in a crosswalk when an SUV driven by Donteiz Dickey sped through a red light, striking Khloe and her mother, Joy White. The Chevrolet Traverse barely missed Khloe's father, Demetrius Pitts.

White was thrown into the air. Khloe's body was thrown across the street. The 3-year-old's spine was severed and she was paralyzed from the neck down. She lost the ability to see. She lived for 48 days before she died from her injuries on Jan. 12.

Dickey, now 23, immediately drove away from the scene. His girlfriend, who was a passenger in the SUV, called police and gave them Dickey's name. He eventually turned himself in.

On Tuesday in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, Dickey appeared before Judge Robert Ruehlman, who sentenced him to 14 years in prison.

 

Donteiz Dickey, sitting next to his attorney, Scott Rubenstein, at his sentencing Tuesday in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.

Dickey pleaded guilty in July to charges including aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular assault and failing to stop after a crash. Ruehlman's sentence was the maximum under the law.

Dickey declined to make a statement, although he submitted a one-page handwritten letter that included an apology.

Police said the crash happened when Dickey drove around a vehicle in front of his that he apparently believed was driving too slow.

Ruehlman, at one point, held the single sheet of yellow legal paper in his hand and then let it fall to his bench.

"This apology is meaningless," Ruehlman said.  "You're sorry because you got caught."

Ruehlman, who said Khloe reminded him of one of his grandchildren, called Dickey's decision to drive away "a cold-blooded act."

"You left a little girl to die in the street, left her mother to die in the street," he said. "And by a fraction of an inch, missed the father.

White suffered injuries to both knees that required surgery. Ruehlman, who saw surveillance video of the crash before Tuesday's sentencing, said he couldn't believe White survived.

Both she and Khloe's father, Dametrice Pitts, spoke in court Tuesday. Khloe was their only child.

"All my dreams and my future is crushed," White said, adding: "It’s just senseless. I still just can't believe it happened."

"That night, it still plays out in my mind," Pitts said. "I watched an individual hit my family and keep going."

"This is my only child," he said. "To lose her to something like this is unbelievable. The pain is like a thorn in my heart."

CORRECTION: Dametrice Pitts is Khloe's father. A previous version of this story misspelled his first name.