Tuesday, December 28, 1999
Teacher dies after car runs her down
BY JANE PRENDERGAST
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FORT THOMAS — A Holy Cross High School teacher died Monday after she was struck while crossing her street Sunday night, leaving her four young children without a mother and a neighbor behind bars.
Neighbors on Brentwood Place heard the crash shortly after 8 p.m. Sunday. They looked out to see Sue Schlarman hurt in the street in front of her house. They also watched, police said, as the neighbor accused of hitting her, Jill Ott, got out of her wrecked car and walked away.
Mrs. Schlarman, 40, died about eight hours later at University Hospital. An autopsy was performed in Hamilton County on Monday, but its findings were not released.
Mrs. Schlarman taught English at Holy Cross and helped pupils in a special enhancement program. The news of her death brought school officials and counselors to the Covington school. Even though teachers and students remain on holiday break, some showed up Monday to talk about their grief, said Dan Trame, athletic director.
“I never met anybody who didn't love Sue Schlarman,” he said. “She was very funny, very witty, and a great teacher.”
As friends woke up to learn of her death, Ms. Ott, 32, remained in the Campbell County Detention Center in lieu of $50,000 cash bond. She faces charges of assault, drunken driving and leaving the scene of an accident.
Investigators think Ms. Ott had been drinking in The Olde Fort Pub on South Fort Thomas Avenue before she got into her Saturn and tried to drive the quarter-mile to her house. She lives four doors away from the Schlarmans.
Tests on Ms. Ott's blood-alcohol level were not completed Monday, but Sgt. Wayne Turner said her behavior and condition Sunday night left investigators certain she was intoxicated. They could smell alcohol on her breath, he said.
In spite of neighbors' urgings that Ms. Ott stay at the scene until police arrived, she left and headed toward her house. She said she was tired and wanted to go home and lie down, Sgt. Turner said, apparently unaware of the severity of the situation. Neighbors comforted Mrs. Schlarman, covering her with blankets and telling her everything was going to be OK.
It took police about 45 minutes to find Ms. Ott, Sgt. Turner said. She first complained of chest injuries that would have been caused by the steering wheel, Sgt. Turner said, but later claimed she wasn't driving. No one else was in the car, he said.
She initially told police that she spoke to Mrs. Schlarman as the teacher lay in the street, Sgt. Turner said. But later Monday, Ms. Ott told him she didn't remember a thing about Sunday night.
The main charge against her likely will change to some type of manslaughter, officials said, but discussions between officers and prosecutors continued Monday about exactly what it should be.
Mrs. Schlarman was crossing the street to put a box in her van when she was hit. She and her husband, Doug, and their children — Doug, 13; twins Megan and Molly, 12; and Jake, 6, all students at St. Thomas School in Fort Thomas — were planning to move Monday to Southgate.
After hitting Mrs. Schlarman, the Saturn plowed into two parked vehicles before spinning around in the street and stopping. That's where Ms. Ott left it when she walked away, Sgt. Turner said.
Mrs. Schlarman taught at Holy Cross for nine years, recently taking over the educational enhancement program for students who need extra help with study skills or homework. She previously taught at her alma mater, Notre Dame Academy.
Her colleagues and friends complimented her ability to balance work and motherhood. Her husband traveled a lot, Mr. Trame said, yet she still was able to get the kids to all their athletic events and activities.
Funeral arrangements were not complete Monday.
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