CEO who pleaded in Wyoming Golf Club crash that killed priest faces 6 months jail

Cincinnati Enquirer

The driver of a car that crashed on the golf course at the Wyoming Golf Club, killing a priest who was a passenger, pleaded guilty Wednesday to vehicular homicide.

Jeffrey Higgins stands before Common Pleas Judge Ethna Cooper for a plea hearing at the Hamilton County Courthouse on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017. Higgins pleaded guilty to the charge of vehicular homicide following a car crash at the Wyoming Golf Club which resulted in the death of the Rev. Chris Coleman. Higgins will be back in court for sentencing on Oct. 19.

Jeffrey Higgins, president and CEO of Clermont County-based Savor Seasonings, will be sentenced on Oct. 19 by Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Ethna Cooper.

Vehicular homicide is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail. At Wednesday's plea hearing, Cooper ordered a presentence investigation report that she will use in formulating a sentence.

In the July 9 crash, the 51-year-old Milford man flipped his red Mustang as he was leaving the club. The car landed on its roof in a sand trap, killing the Rev. Christopher Coleman.

Scene of the July 9 crash that killed The Rev. Christopher Coleman, a passenger in a Ford Mustang driven by Jeffrey Higgins. The car tumbled over an embankment, landing on its roof in a sand trap at the Wyoming Golf Club.

Higgins estimated his speed at 20 to 30 mph. Investigators, however, estimated the car's speed at 54 mph based on skid marks and the information extracted from the car's air bag control module.

Several witnesses told police they heard squealing tires, saw the speeding car swerve, skid and tumble over an embankment.