Former Ohio State and NFL offensive lineman Kirk Barton has been charged with aggravated vehicular manslaughter, a second-degree felony, following a fatal car crash on June 21 in Dublin, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus.
Barton, 40, was allegedly speeding at the time of the early morning crash, which killed 24-year-old Ethan Wence Perry, according to a post on the City of Dublin’s website. Police have not specified how fast they suspect Barton of driving at the time of the accident.
Barton was driving a Ford F-150 Raptor pickup truck eastbound on U.S. 33 and crashed into Perry’s westbound Lexus on West Bridge Street, Dublin officials told The Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Police received a report of the crash at 3 a.m. Perry was pronounced dead at the scene.
Barton was taken into police custody after being released from a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He’s being held at the James A. Karnes Corrections Center and no bond has been set, according to the Franklin County Sheriff’s office. He’s scheduled to appear at Franklin County Municipal Court on June 23.
The crash and its remnants closed portions of West Bridge Street and North High Street for seven hours.
Barton has had several traffic offenses over the past 20 years, according to court records obtained by the Dispatch. Those include pleading down an operative vehicle while intoxicated charge to reckless operation and failure to stop after an August 2017 arrest. For that infraction, he received a fine and a 180-day license suspension.
Barton was an offensive lineman for Ohio State from 2003-07, starting at right tackle for four seasons. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection and a first-team All-American in 2007 as he helped lead the Buckeyes to an 11-2 record, a Big Ten championship and an appearance in the BCS national championship game, where they lost to LSU.
He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft, but was out of the league after the 2010 season.
