Man pleads guilty for fatal crash

SANDUSKY — A Norwalk man pleaded guilty for his role in an August 2022 fatal crash in Erie County. Steve D. Chaffee, 60, of the first block of Adams St., pleaded guilty last Monday to one count of involuntary manslaughter, a third-degree felony in exchange for his plea, six other counts, including aggravated vehicular homicide, fentanyl and cocaine possession. On Aug. 8, 2022, Chaffee was operating a 1995 Ford Mustang on Ohio 113 between Joppa Road and Ohio 60, near Birmingham. His car went left of center across the oncoming lane and then into a ditch. Chaffee, the reported driver, was seriously injured in the crash. His passenger, Thomas Zellner, 62, of Berlin Heights, also suffered serious injuries and died two days later. Chaffee did not have a valid operator's license at the time of the crash and was believed to be under the influence of drugs. Chaffee is set to be sentenced on March 28 at the Erie County Court of Common Pleas and could face up to three years in prison. Prosecutors are recommending a minimum sentence of nine months in prison, according to a court document. Chaffee will also be subject to lifetime license suspension, a possible fine of up to $10,000, and a maximum of three years probation following his release, according to the document.