A Xenia man accused in the crash that killed a 25-year-old utility worker in Sugarcreek Township has reached a plea agreement that would send him to probation rather than prison. Joshua Griggs had been charged in connection with the death of Timothy Knepple, a Spectrum contractor who was thrown from the raised bucket of his work truck in May and later died from his injuries.
According to WHIO TV, Griggs has agreed to plead no contest to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, and as part of the deal, a misdemeanor vehicular homicide charge against him and a traffic citation stemming from the crash will both be dismissed. Griggs and prosecutors have agreed on probation as the punishment, per his attorney, and he is expected to be sentenced sometime in December. A judge will still need to formally accept the plea agreement and impose the sentence.
How the Crash Unfolded on Upper Bellbrook Road
The crash happened in May on Upper Bellbrook Road in Sugarcreek Township, Greene County, where Knepple's work truck was parked for utility pole maintenance, according to a crash report from the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The patrol's report states that Griggs rear-ended Knepple's truck, and the impact threw Knepple from the raised bucket. He was taken to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Knepple, 25, was from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and had been working as a contractor for Spectrum at the time of the crash, the same WHIO report notes. An earlier account from The Xenia Gazette similarly described the Chevrolet Griggs was driving as striking the stopped Ford truck from behind while it sat in the roadway for utility work, placing the crash site near Wildwood Lane. A separate WHIO report on Griggs' earlier not-guilty plea referred to the same stretch of road as being near Willwood Lane, and the discrepancy between the two spellings has not been resolved.
Attorney Describes Griggs as Remorseful
Griggs was initially charged with a crime related to the fatal crash, and his attorney, Adam Arnold, entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf before the agreement was reached. Arnold has since described the crash as an unfortunate accident and said his client was very upset and extremely remorseful, telling reporters Griggs wanted to move on with his life.
Eagle Dayton reported that Knepple died from his injuries on May 18, days after the crash that upended his work on a routine utility pole job. News Center 7 reported that the plea agreement had been reached and that Griggs would be sentenced the following month, with a judge set to decide whether to accept the deal and formally impose Griggs' punishment.
