Urbana man sentenced to 17 months in vehicular assault case

July 01--A Clark County judge sentenced an Urbana man to 17 months in prison on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to vehicular assault earlier this month.

Anthony Ryan, 31, of Urbana, has been accused of driving drunk and striking another driver in February. He then reportedly stabbed her in the leg while trying to free her from an airbag.

He was arrested again less than a week later in Champaign County on an OVI charge.

Ryan pleaded guilty and was put on probation for that case, Clark County Assistant Prosecutor Lisa Fannin said.

In connection with the February case in Clark County, Ryan had faced charges of aggravated vehicular assault and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs from the crash, but those charges were dropped as part of a plea deal.

Ryan told Clark County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard O'Neill that he was currently addressing his substance abuse problem by attending AA meeting and seeking help. He said he had a meeting later in the day that he wanted to attend.

O'Neill sentenced Ryan to one month less than the maximum sentence. The judge also suspended Ryan's license for four years.

"The high level of alcohol in his system during the crash, what happened subsequent to the crash, where he stabbed the airbag and stabbed her leg, and given the fact he received an OVI shortly after this case, clearly demonstrates he is not learning a lesson," Fannin said.

Fannin said she had talked with the victim, who didn't appear at the sentencing, and said she was hoping for prison time.

"Although I think he needs to receive treatment, I think he needs to go to prison for this offense," Fannin said.

In both OVI charges, Ryan was driving his wife's car, he said.

The February incident happened after he took his wife's car to do work on it, he said, and started drinking while fixing the car.

"Driving intoxicated, driving without a license and driving without insurance. The victim in this case got hit will all three," O'Neil said.

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