Friday, September 10, 1999
Crash victims 'had no chance'
Witness describes scene on U.S. 27
BY JANICE MORSE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Joseph H. Hoops
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ROSS TOWNSHIP — Police say this week's double fatality on U.S. 27 was caused by a man who was driving fast and recklessly while drunk — and a witness says the victims were at his mercy.
“They had no chance,” said David Mann, 43, of Okeana. Officials confirmed that Mr. Mann and several other people reported seeing the crash that killed Ross High School cheerleader Missy Boling, 16, and her grandfather, Robert Sandlin, 70, Tuesday evening.
Mr. Mann told The Cincinnati Enquirer that he wanted to let people know that Missy and her grandfather couldn't have done anything to avoid the head-on collision.
“There wasn't anything they could've done different, in case people over at the school are wondering,” he said. “She definitely had her seat belt on ... but it didn't make a difference, the way things happened.”
Police on Thursday said they were charging Joseph H. Hoops, 36, of Hanover Township, with various offenses, including two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, a third-degree felony carrying a sentence of one to five years and a possible $15,000 fine.
Mr. Hoops was expected to be released from Mercy Hospital Hamilton and served with the charges today, said Butler County Sheriff's Detective Sgt. Mike Craft.
Relatives of Mr. Hoops declined to comment.
Records show that Mr. Hoops, a roofer, already faced another felony: a domestic violence charge that was filed three weeks ago. A Butler County sheriff's report says the felony charge was lodged against Mr. Hoops because he has a prior domestic violence conviction from Hamilton County. In the Butler County incident reported Aug. 25, he is accused of pushing his live-in girlfriend of three years, causing her to cut her elbows.
Mr. Hoops' driving record for the past three years shows he was convicted of speeding twice and was involved in two crashes, one of which involved speeding; officials said he was convicted of drunken driving in the mid-1980s.
In connection with Tuesday's crash, he is being accused of driving under the influence and reckless operation, along with a drug abuse charge because police found him in possession of a small amount of marijuana, Detective Sgt. Craft said.
Investigators estimate Mr. Hoops' speed at the time of the crash exceeded 75 mph in a 60-mph zone; a blood test showed his blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit of 0.10, Sgt. Craft said, declining to give a specific reading.
“Several witnesses said he was weaving in and out of traffic, lost control, crossed the median and hit (Missy and Mr. Sandlin) head-on,” Sgt. Craft said.
Mr. Mann said he was northbound on U.S. 27 behind Mr. Hoops' white 1981 Ford Econo Line van when he saw the events that culminated in the crash with Mr. Sandlin's southbound 1991 Cadillac Seville.
“(Mr. Hoops) was maybe an eighth of a mile in front of me, when from out of nowhere, he goes into the right lane. ... Then he had to hurry up and pull back into the left lane, and that's when he went out of control and hit that car,” he said. “The van popped back from the car because it hit so hard. ... It was odd that the car didn't spin or anything. It just stayed right in the same lane where it was hit.”
The impact was loud; the sight startling. Traffic came almost to a standstill as stunned motorists slowed or stopped to try to help.
While two other motorists helped Mr. Hoops — who was shirtless and bloody-faced — from his van, someone else got a fire extinguisher and used it to put out a fire that was engulfing the Cadillac's dashboard, Mr. Mann said.
Within minutes, paramedics confirmed what Mr. Mann says he knew as soon as he reached the Cadillac: Missy was dead.
“I got over there within like 30 seconds,” he said. “So let's put it this way: She didn't suffer.”
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