Youngstown driver gets two-year sentence

Responsible for head-on collision that injured woman

WARREN -- A Youngstown driver responsible for a 2019 head-on collision in Warren Township that severely injured a nurse received a two-year prison sentence for a felony conviction.

Michael R. Butcher, 25, of 3651 S. Wendover Circle, Youngstown, appeared Monday with his attorney, Scott Cochran, for a sentencing hearing before Trumbull County Common Pleas Judge Peter J. Kontos. Butcher had pleaded guilty Jan. 11 to one count of aggravated vehicular assault, a third-degree felony.

Kontos admitted this wasn't one of his easiest decisions because he has to weigh Butcher's offense against the plight of the victim, "a woman who did nothing wrong."

That woman, who had to be assisted into the courtroom in a wheelchair, told the judge that the night of Oct. 18, 2019, changed her life forever. She went through pain, surgery and then therapy before running into other complications. She said she was an independent woman who had put herself through nursing school.

"I lost my job, my marriage was ruined as was my relationship with my children," said accident victim Paulette Johnson, noting her days of depression, fear and anxiety. "I just want my life back."

"This was just a devastating scenario," Kontos said, wondering if the woman's life would ever return to what it was before the accident.

In addition to the prison sentence, Kontos suspended Butcher's driving license for four years and ordered him to pay restitution of $75,952 to take care of the property loss and medical expenses of the victim.

The accident took place on Austintown-Warren Road, where prosecutors said Butcher's vehicle went left of center.

Reading from a prepared statement, Butcher stated he is "truly sorry for making this life-changing mistake." He said he was going to take his punishment "like a man."

In asking the victim for forgiveness, Butcher said Johnson "deserved peace."

Cochran asked the judge for the minimum sentence because of the defendant's sparse criminal history. He noted that Butcher's high school basketball coach had written a character letter to the judge.