DAYTON — A Dayton man was sentenced Wednesday to at least 23 years in prison after he was convicted on charges connected to the death of an elderly Tipp City man.

According to a press release from Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr., Cory Allen Harbarger, 28, was sentenced to a total of 23 to 28 and a half years in prison “for his convictions on counts in connection to a fiery traffic crash on Jan. 24, 2023, that took the life of an elderly Tipp City man.”

On Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, Harrison Township deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle that had been stolen in Clark County. The vehicle fled from the deputies, striking another vehicle before driving onto northbound Interstate 75, then east on Interstate 70 towards Huber Heights. In the area of I‐70 and Brandt Pike, the defendant left the highway and went south on Brandt Pike at a high rate of speed. In the 6600 block of Brandt Pike, the defendant crashed the stolen car into several other vehicles. The defendant fled on foot. Soon after the crash, three vehicles, including the stolen vehicle, caught fire.

Officers located the defendant hiding nearby and took him into custody. A passenger in the defendant’s vehicle and the driver of another vehicle were seriously injured. On Jan. 28, 2023, a third victim, 68‐year‐old Steven Jay Carlson, of Tipp City, died as a result of being critically burned in the crash.

The defendant was indicted by the Montgomery County grand jury on Feb. 23, 2023.

On April 3, 2024, the defendant entered guilty pleas and was found guilty by the court on one count of aggravated vehicular homicide, three counts of aggravated vehicular assault, two counts of failure to comply, one count of tampering with evidence and one count of operating a vehicle while under the influence.

In addition to Harbarger being sentenced to a total of 23 to 28 and a half years in prison, he also received a lifetime driver’s license suspension.