A Pataskala man, who was drunk and driving the wrong way on Route 315 in Columbus in 2021 when he crashed into another car, killing another man, will spend at least four years in prison.
The driver, whose legal name is Emily Pratt but who goes by Jay Pratt, pleaded guilty on May 13, 2022 to one count of aggravated vehicular homicide in connection with the death of 35-year-old Julio C. Martinez-Martinez nearly a year earlier. As part of a plea deal, Franklin County Prosecutors dropped other charges, including operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.
On Monday, Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Karen Phipps sentenced Pratt, 33, of Pataskala, to an indefinite prison term of four years to six years. Pratt’s driver’s license will also be suspended for life.
The crash happened at around 3 a.m. on May 15, 2021 on Route 315 near Lane Avenue Columbus’ North Side. Pratt, driving a 2020 Honda CR-V, collided head-on with Martinez-Martinez’s 2007 Honda Civic.
Franklin County Assistant Prosecutor Donald Miller said a camera captured Pratt driving the wrong way on an exit ramp, then pausing at the end of the ramp for about four minutes.
“Apparently trying to process the road in front of the car and deciding what to do and ultimately, tragically, Pratt decides to proceed against the traffic coming right at the car,” Miller said.
Pratt had a blood alcohol content of .275%, according to Miller. The legal limit in Ohio is .08%.
According to Miller, Pratt told officers he had too much to drink that night and he wished he would’ve taken an Uber like he normally does.
Shanikqua Martinez-Martinez said in court Monday that her husband was a caring person who loved helping others and would always be the designated driver for anybody who needed a ride home — which makes this even more painful.
She read a letter written by her young daughter in court.
“‘I used to sleep on his belly when I was tired … I miss him so much. He was funny,’” Martinez-Martinez read through tears.
Judge Phipps said she wished she could do something to make Martinez-Martinez’s family whole, but she can’t. She also acknowledged how difficult it will be for Pratt to stay sober with this kind of burden on his conscience.
Sam Shamansky, Pratt’s defense attorney, said in court that Pratt is very sorry.
“A well-educated individual made a horrific, illegal and selfish decision to operate a vehicle when he shouldn’t have been anywhere near a car,” Shamansky said.