Switzer to stand trial in December

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

PAULDING — New trial dates have been established for a Paulding woman charged in connection with the death of a boy last September.

Cynthia Switzer, 46, is scheduled to stand trial in Paulding County Common Pleas Court December 16-19 for aggravated vehicular homicide, a second degree felony. The charge is tied to the September 4 death of Ross Erwin Myers, 12, who was riding his bike on County Road 103, south of County Road 124 in Paulding Township when he was hit from behind and killed.

She was originally scheduled to stand trial May 13-15, but it was delayed when Switzer and her attorney, E. Charles Cates, sought to suppress tests of Switzer’s coordination and/or alcohol and/or drug levels. They also called into question seven other factors to consider, including the chain of custody of a urine test, a possible link between alcohol test results and diabetes, which Switzer has, plus numerous body cam recordings.

Test results show Switzer’s blood alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit. She was arrested at her home by deputies without incident and was booked into the Paulding County Jail on Friday, October 13, more than five weeks after the incident. She posted a $10,000 bond the following day and was ordered to consume no alcoholic beverages.

During a hearing held earlier this week, Visiting Judge Reeve Kelsey rejected most of the suppression motions filed on Switzer’s behalf.

If convicted, Switzer facds a mandatory sentence of 2-8 years in prison, a mandatory license suspension for life and a fine of up to $15,000.