A 20-year-old woman was killed in a crash in Kirtland Hills early Sunday and police say alcohol consumption appears to be a factor.
Mentor police — who were called because the crash happened on the City of Mentor portion of a driveway — say it happened around 1:25 a.m.
According to authorities, the driver, 21-year-old Joshua O’Keefe of Painesville, tried to evade a Kirtland Hills officer who saw him commit a stop sign violation in their city.
The officer flicked on his lights and O’Keefe tried to turn into a driveway on Center Street to hide, police said.
That's when the crash happened.
The car crashed into a fence, seriously injuring his passenger — 20-year-old Taylor Castilyn.
She was taken to Tri-Point Medical Center and then flown to MetroHealth Medical Center where she later died.
Police say O’Keefe had a suspended driver's license. Alcohol consumption also appears to be a factor.
O’Keefe was arraigned in Mentor Municipal Court Monday morning on charges of Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, Driving Under Suspension and Failure to Control.
