Kirchgessner
Courtesy photo
By Sam Wildow
TROY — An Urbana woman was sentenced this week in connection with a traffic crash that caused the death of her son, during which she had also been reportedly under the influence of methamphetamine.
Britaney N. Kirchgessner, 29, was sentenced to spend seven years in prison for second-degree felony aggravated vehicular manslaughter and first-degree misdemeanor OVI in Miami County Common Pleas Court.
According to the Miami County Prosecutor’s Office, Kirchgessner received a mandatory sentence of at least seven years in prison with a maximum possible sentence of 10.5 years. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction can keep Kirchgessner incarcerated for longer than her minimum sentence depending on her behavior.
Kirchgessner was charged in connection with a traffic crash she was involved in on June 19, 2021 that resulted in the death of her son, according to the Miami County Sheriff’s Office.
The crash took place at approximately 7 a.m. on June 19 in Fletcher in the area of U.S. Route 36 and South Walnut Street. According to previous reports from the Miami County Sheriff’s Office, Kirchgessner was driving a pick-up truck that traveled left of center into the path of a semi-truck.
Kirchgessner’s son, Daniel Voris, 7, passed away after being taken to the hospital for treatment. The semi-truck driver, Billy R. Shoffner, 49, of Carmel, Ind. was not injured.
According to the indictment against her, Kirchgessner had methamphetamine in her system at the time of the crash. In November, Kirchgessner entered a plea of no contest to the charges. Kirchgessner has been incarcerated in the Miami County Jail since Sept. 23, 2021.
Once released from prison, Kirchgessner will be subject to an 18-month mandatory post release control period that can also last up to three years under the supervision of the parole board.
