Driver in hit-run changes plea to guilty

CELINA - A Montezuma man charged with failure to stop after his vehicle struck a pedestrian changed his plea to guilty on Wednesday as part of a plea deal.

Harold Bashore, 70, pleaded guilty to a fifth-degree felony charge of failure to stop after an accident. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop a minor misdemeanor charge of a right of way violation.

He faces a potential prison term of 6-12 months and a possible $2,500 fine. The court is mandated to suspend Bashore's license for at least six months but could suspend the license for up to three years. He is scheduled to be sentenced at 10 a.m. Feb. 26.

Bashore was arrested in late September after reportedly failing to yield the right of way and striking a pedestrian at the intersection of Logan and South Main streets in Celina before fleeing the scene.

Bashore had reportedly been driving westbound on East Logan Street in a 2003 Ford pickup truck when he entered the intersection, turned southbound, and his vehicle struck James M. Farmer, 70, Celina, in the crosswalk, according to a Celina Police Department news release. Bashore then reportedly fled the scene.

Farmer suffered serious physical harm due to the incident, according to Bashore's indictment. Celina police reported Farmer was thrown to the asphalt, causing a serious head injury. Farmer was transported to Mercer County Community Hospital, Coldwater, and later flown to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, where he received extensive treatment, according to Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Erin Minor.