AUSTINTOWN — Negotiations continue for a plea deal for a man charged in a fatal hit-and-run in March.

James Stehura, 50, of Wedgewood Drive, is charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, a third-degree felony, in the March 11 death of Linda Adams, 66, on Lancaster Drive. At a pretrial hearing on Monday, Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge Anthony Donofrio agreed to continue the case until December. Donofrio’s secretary, Rhonda Murphy, said that if the prosecution and defense cannot come to terms on an agreement by then, the case will be scheduled for trial.

Stehura’s case originally was set for July 15, but he signed a speedy trial waiver during a June 25 pretrial hearing and the two sides began to pursue plea negotiations.

In addition to the vehicular homicide charge, he faces third-degree felony charges of reckless homicide, tampering with evidence and leaving the scene of a crash.

The police report states that Stehura struck Adams with his truck while she was walking with her partner. Police learned during their investigation that Stehura had consumed at least nine drinks during a four-hour period at a local bar, which is located only two minutes away from Lancaster Drive.

Police obtained video of Stehura at the bar and of him leaving the bar and getting into his truck. They also obtained a doorbell camera video of the truck that hit Adams, and posted a picture of a vehicle meeting both descriptions on the department’s Facebook page. A social media tip led them to Stehura’s home that same evening, but neither he nor the truck were there.

The next morning, an employee at Stehura’s tree-cutting business called police to say Stehura’s truck was parked in the business’s garage with front end damage matching what police described on the Facebook post.

Later that day, Stehura’s attorney called to tell police he was willing to speak with them and let them confiscate the truck for evidence.

Stehura was arrested on April 3 and indicted by a Mahoning County grand jury on April 17.

He remains free on a $15,000 cash or surety bond.