Motorist Charged With Killing OHP Trooper Pleads Not Guilty

The driver accused of fatally striking an Ohio Highway Patrol Trooper along I-90 in Lakewood has pleaded not guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide charges. 37-year-old Joshua Gaspar is charged in the September 15 death of Trooper Kenneth Velez. The Trooper was struck hit while conducting traffic enforcement. Prosecutors say Gaspar was driving 78 mph and had taken a dose of methadone shortly before the collision. Gaspar's doctor says he has a prescription painkiller addiction, and the methadone used to treat it wouldn't impair his driving. The doctor says a test conducted on the day after the crash showed Gaspar had only a therapeutic level of methadone in his system.