COLUMBUS – A Columbus police detective has been indicted on charges in connection with a hit-and-run incident in 2022 that left a woman dead.
A Franklin County grand jury on Wednesday returned a two-count indictment against Det. Demetris Ortega in the death of Naimo Abdirahman, who was killed while walking in the area of Morse Road and Walford Street on April 20, 2022, according to a release from the office of Franklin County Prosecutor G. Gary Tyack.
Ortega, 49, is facing a felony charge of failure to stop after an accident and a misdemeanor charge of OVI.
Ortega allegedly failed to stop and left the scene after he struck and killed the 30-year-old Abdirahman and detectives determined that Ortega was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash, Tyack said.
The grand jury heard testimony that due to the lack of witnesses or video, as well as physical evidence from the scene, detectives were not able to conclusively identify Abdirahman’s location at the time of the crash, and could not determine to any degree of certainty that Ortega was at fault in causing the crash, so he was not charged with aggravated vehicular homicide or vehicular homicide, Tyack said.
Man convicted of child rape
A 31-year-old Columbus man has been convicted of raping two of his young family members, Tyack’s office said.
In February 2020, two of Williams’ relatives, both under the age of 10, told their mother and grandmother that Williams had sexually assaulted them.
Williams was charged in September 2020 with one count of gross sexual imposition and three counts of rape of a child under the age of 13, and sent to the Franklin County jail, where he has been held since.
Court of Common Pleas Judge Andy Miller found Williams guilty on all four charges and scheduled sentencing for May 23, Tyack said.
Suspect in fatal shooting in jail in Michigan
Columbus homicide detectives say a 33-year-old man facing a murder charge in Columbus is in jail on a parole violation in Michigan.
Redera Douche’On Davis Jr.has been charged in connection with the shooting death of Aaron J.W. Washington, 25, in the 2000 block of Winslow Drive on March 13, Sgt. Edward Powell III of the homicide unit said.