Staff photo / Ed Runyan Dylan Walters, left, speaks to Judge John Durkin of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court on Thursday during a hearing. Walters pleaded guilty to vehicular assault for a crash in 2021 that injured another driver and Walters’ own children. At right is Walters’ attorney, Damian Billak.

YOUNGSTOWN — Dylan N. Walters pleaded guilty Thursday to felony vehicular assault in a 2021 head-on crash on state Route 46 in Austintown.

The crash seriously injured the driver of the other car, along with Walters and his own two children in his car.

Prosecutors are recommending that Walters, 28, of Meander Drive in Austintown, gets probation and pays restitution — but no prison time — when he is sentenced later. Community Corrections Association of Youngstown will carry out a presentence investigation of Walters’ criminal history and background.

The driver of the other car, Jessica Kohler of Canfield, is a popular principal at Blott Guy PK-6 School in Liberty Township. In the days after the accident, students were encouraged to wear purple — Kohler’s favorite color — in a show of solidarity as she recovered.

After the hearing Thursday, Kohler said she suffered 11 broken ribs, collapsed lungs, a brain bleed, a minor brain injury, fractured hip and fractured hand. She spent five weeks in the hospital.

Walters was indicted on three counts of aggravated vehicular assault, three counts of vehicular assault, four counts of felony child endangering and two counts of driving under the influence.

Troopers with the Canfield post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol investigated the crash, which happened at 7:50 a.m. March 12, 2021, on state Route 46 between Kirk and Shields roads.

Troopers said Walters was southbound on Route 46 when he drove left of center and struck Kohler’s car head-on. Both vehicles then traveled off the east side of the road into a ditch, the patrol stated in a news release. Kohler was traveling north.

Afterward, she was in critical condition at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital. Walters was in stable condition later at St. Elizabeth. His children, ages 7 and 5, were wearing seat belts and properly restrained, but one of the children was in critical condition later at Akron Children’s Hospital in Akron. The other child was stable.

During Thursday’s hearing, Nick Brevetta, county assistant prosecutor, told Judge John Durkin of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court that a lot of charges are being dismissed in exchange for Walters’ plea.

Most of the dismissed charges would have “merged” with the vehicular assault for sentencing purposes, he said, and would not have increased Walters’ sentence.

Prosecutors are dismissing the two driving-under-the influence charges, but they would have been able to prove that he was DUI, Brevetta said. The plea arrangement was in agreement with Kohler and the attorneys, who filed a civil suit on Kohler’s behalf, Brevetta said.

Kohler sued Walters and Denise Walters, also of the Meander Drive home, and Allstate Insurance, which is Kohler’s insurance company. The suit alleges Dylan Walters was under the influence of alcohol and / or drugs and that Denise Walters owned or controlled the car Dylan Walters was driving, according to the lawsuit.