Hardin County woman found with drugs in car is sentenced in fatal crash

KENTON, Ohio (WCMH) — A woman previously convicted of felony drug possession will spend at least 14 years in prison over her involvement in a fatal Hardin County crash. According to the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office, Hailey Breeden, 28, was deemed at fault for one fatality after a two-vehicle crash on State Route 309 east of Kenton. Deputies arrived at the scene and found three victims, including 73-year-old Dennis Covault, of Harrod, who was pronounced dead at the scene. His spouse suffered life-threatening injuries and was flown to a Columbus hospital for treatment. The driver of the second vehicle, Breeden, was flown to a Lima hospital after also suffering life-threatening injuries. It was later determined she was operating her vehicle while under the influence of drugs after narcotics were recovered from the scene. An investigation was aided by a sheriff’s office drone unit, which helped conduct an aerial mapping of the crash scene, creating a scaled 3D forensic diagram. Forensic downloads on both vehicles' onboard computer systems were conducted, which showed reckless actions taken by Breeden before impact. Breeden, who previously served five years of community control stemming from a 2017 conviction on possession of heroin, was indicted on charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, aggravated vehicular assault, and possession of narcotics. This week, she was sentenced to 14-18 years in prison in Hardin County Court of Common Pleas.