Teen committed to juvenile facility after crash killed off-duty Ohio officer

An 18-year-old from Jackson County has been committed to a juvenile correctional facility until age 21 following a crash that killed an off-duty police officer and seriously injured another person.

Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson announced the sentence November 6. The crash happened in August 2025 in Wellston, when the defendant was 17 years old.

Investigators say the teenager was driving under the influence when the vehicle struck a golf cart on South Pennsylvania Avenue. The impact sent the golf cart into a tree.

Twenty-five-year-old Matthew Juniper, an off-duty Wellston police officer, died from his injuries. Another officer, 40-year-old Brant Derrow, was seriously injured.

The teenager pleaded guilty in October to aggravated vehicular homicide and aggravated vehicular assault.

In addition to the commitment to a juvenile correctional facility, the judge permanently suspended the defendant’s driver’s license.

The case was prosecuted by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.