WARREN – A four-year prison sentence for a Claridon Township man charged in a fatal autumn 2023 crash with a South Central Ambulance District ambulance was upheld Monday, March 2, in the Ohio 11th District Court of Appeals.
Jason Slepsky, 38, of Chardon Windsor Road in Claridon Township, had appealed his sentence on several procedural grounds, which the appellate court rejected, according to court documents.
Slepsky’s vehicle, a 1995 Jeep Wrangler, struck a 2022 Ford F550 ambulance from the South Central Ambulance District at the intersection of State Route 528 and Claridon Windsor Road in Huntsburg Township on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023, while the ambulance was carrying a patient to UH Geauga Medical Center, according to a crash report from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The ambulance overturned, traveling off the west side of the roadway and the Jeep caught on fire after the crash.
William Maley, 47, of Dorset Township, the patient inside the ambulance, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Paramedic Jesse Sopko was transported via helicopter to an area hospital where he underwent surgeries. Paramedic Tim Kalbfleisch was injured as well.
Slepsky pleaded no contest in February 2025 to one count of aggravated vehicular homicide and two counts of aggravated vehicular assault, all 3rd-degree felonies. He was sentenced in April 2025 to four years’ imprisonment and a six-year license suspension in the Geauga County Court of Common Pleas.
Shaun Buehner, SCAD chief, said he and his crew are pleased the verdict and sentence were upheld, even if they believe the punishment is too lenient considering the damage Slepsky has done.
“We feel happy that he’s finally going to serve his time,” he said. “I do feel that the (sentence) was too light. Four years is a light sentence, considering the damage he did – to the patient who died in the accident, to his family. The paramedics who were hurt – it’s been a stress to our crews, a financial stress and a stress to the community.”
Buehner said Sopko has recovered and was on shift the morning of Monday, March 9. Kalbfleisch is still in recovery from the accident and undergoing medical procedures.
Slepsky’s attorney argued the trial court had not allowed him to present evidence on how impaired he was the night of the crash and the state’s explanation of the case was not enough to support convicting him. The court found the indictment and bill of particulars were sufficient to support the charges.
On Saturday, Jan. 17, Slepsky was charged with operating a vehicle while impaired after losing control of and overturning his vehicle. His case is still pending in Chardon Municipal Court, according to court records.
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