Judge R. Scott Kirchbaum

BEAVER — R. Scott Krichbaum, a Mahoning County Common Pleas Court judge for the past 33 years, faces charges of reckless operation and improperly overtaking / passing a vehicle in a crash with a bicyclist.

While the incident on Sharrott Road in Beaver occurred about 6 p.m. Nov. 16, charges weren’t filed until Friday.

Krichbaum of Boardman, is to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Jan. 12 in Mahoning County Court #5 in Canfield in front of Judge Molly Johnson. Krichbaum has worked out a plea deal to the charges and agreed to make restitution to the bicyclist, who received minor injuries based on information in a Beaver police report.

Krichbaum left the scene of the accident. His identity wasn’t discovered until a day later when his attorney, Ronald Yarwood, contacted Beaver police to say Krichbaum noticed his passenger-side mirror on his 2023 Kia Telluride SUV was missing and that he saw the accident on the local television news, according to a police report.

The passenger-side mirror was found by police at the scene of the incident and came off Krichbaum’s car after he struck the bicyclist while passing him, according to the report.

The bicyclist, Cameron J. Wyant of Boardman, 19, was thrown to the east side of the road and into a ditch after being hit by the vehicle, according to a police report. Beaver police returned Wyant’s bicycle and other property the day after the incident, according to the report.

Beaver police Chief Eric D. Dattilo said the matter was referred Nov. 20 to the county prosecutor.

County Prosecutor Gina DeGenova appointed Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley or any of his assistant prosecutors designated by him as “a special prosecutor” to handle the case because Krichbaum is “a statutory client” of her office, according to a Nov. 20 document her office provided Friday.

For nearly a month, the case was with the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office.

Andrew Rogalski, an assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor assigned to the case by O’Malley, told Michael Sinkovich, a Beaver police detective lieutenant, on Dec. 4 that he had reviewed the case, but had not heard back from Wyant after leaving several messages, according to the police report. Sinkovich spoke two days later to Wyant telling him to contact Rogalski.

Rogalski told Sinkovich on Dec. 11 that he had spoken with Wyant and would have an update by the end of the week, according to the report.

The police report states Rogalski told Sinkovich on Dec. 18 “that a plea agreement was in place and that the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office was waiting for a restitution amount” from Wyant’s attorney.

The plea agreement is for the two charges facing Krichbaum, according to the report.

Dattilo said he was told Thursday to file the charges against Krichbaum and he did that Friday.

Reckless operation is a fourth-degree misdemeanor while the other charge is a minor misdemeanor.

Krichbaum, a Republican, was first elected to the common pleas court’s general division bench in 1990 after being a court bailiff and then a high-profile defense attorney. Krichbaum, 71, has been reelected to five additional six-year terms. He cannot run for reelection in 2026 because of the state’s age limit on judges.