The death of Najee Hardaway, a 26-year-old fourth-grade teacher at Lomond Elementary School in Shaker Heights, has led to felony aggravated vehicular homicide and misdemeanor operating-under-the-influence charges against Quintin Walton. Walton, who is from Akron, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. A judge set his bond at $50,000.
Charges Follow Months-Long Investigation
Cleveland.com reported that Walton must surrender his driver's license while the case is pending and wear a GPS ankle monitor and an alcohol-detection bracelet, which detects alcohol use through vapors emitted from the skin. The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office said the investigation found alcohol was involved in the crash, according to Cleveland.com.
The collision occurred at about 3:50 a.m. on Interstate 271 North near I-480 East in Warrensville Heights. According to the police report cited by Cleveland.com, Walton was driving a Cadillac Escalade and merging from I-480 onto I-271 when he struck Hardaway's Hyundai Sonata. Walton told police he was changing lanes as he merged and that another car moved into the lane ahead of him. He said his vehicle hit the other car's rear driver's side. The Sonata then turned sideways into a median, while the Escalade continued forward and stopped in the traffic lanes.
Teacher Found Trapped, Later Died at Hospital
Hardaway was found unconscious and trapped inside his car, per the police report, and was taken to a hospital, where he died from injuries sustained in the crash. Records from the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office show he died at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, according to cleveland.com, which reported his cause of death was blunt force trauma due to a traffic crash, per the medical examiner.
Walton's attorney, Joseph Hada, described Hardaway's death as a “profoundly bad case” and said Walton is entitled to a fair process, the station's report notes. Walton entered his not-guilty plea at his arraignment in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
A Teacher Who Came Home to Shaker Heights
WKYC reported that Hardaway graduated from Shaker Heights High School in 2018 and returned to the district to teach at Lomond Elementary. His mother, Ayesha Bell Hardaway, told the station that he came home to teach and make a difference in the area where he grew up; she described his spirit as radiant. The Shaker Heights superintendent called him an outstanding educator who cared deeply for students, according to WKYC.
Before he became a teacher, Hardaway helped lead the Shaker Heights Red Raiders boys basketball team to a district championship during his senior year, per the same station. He went on to play basketball at the College of Wooster, appearing in parts of five seasons and averaging 8.9 points per game, the outlet reported.
School District Offered Counseling After Loss
In the days after Hardaway's death, Shaker Heights Schools made counseling and mental health professionals available to support those in need, according to cleveland19.com. The Najee Hardaway Foundation was later established to preserve his legacy and aims to serve the needs of the Shaker Heights community through initiatives and scholarships.
Part of a Wider Pattern in Cuyahoga County
Walton's indictment adds to a string of recent Cuyahoga County cases involving fatal crashes moving through the courts, including a driver indicted by a grand jury in a deadly I-90 motorcycle crash in Bratenahl, according to a cleveland19.com report, and a suspect indicted in a May ATV crash that killed a 23-year-old Lakewood woman, per wkyc.com. Walton is charged under Ohio's aggravated vehicular homicide statute, Ohio Revised Code Section 2903.06, alongside a misdemeanor charge tied to the state's operating-under-the-influence law, Section 4511.19.
What the Charges and Prevention Efforts Cover
Ohio Revised Code Section 2903.06 includes causing a death as the proximate result of an OVI offense as a basis for aggravated vehicular homicide, according to the Ohio Revised Code. In this case, the indictment includes that homicide charge as well as a separate OVI charge under Section 4511.19. For prevention, Ohio's FFY2019 Annual Evaluation Report described the state's OVI Task Force program as a countywide effort focused on impaired-driving enforcement, public awareness and education. The cited description explains the program's focus but does not provide outcome figures.
