CINCINNATI — A former Cincinnati Metro bus driver who hit and killed 87-year-old Beverly Kinney in a crosswalk in January has been sentenced to probation.
Deon Willis pleaded guilty in July. On Thursday, Judge Samantha Silverstein sentenced him to five years of probation and a five-year suspension of his driver's license.
In addition, Willis must complete 1,000 hours of community service — a requirement Silverstein said was specifically designed with Kinney in mind.
"In reading about Ms. Kinney, she volunteered at several local organizations that are constantly writing to this court that they need community service hours," said Silverstein. "And I know this seems like a very light sanction, but I want you to do this and think of her and think of her family every time you work one of those hours ... So, I want you to do these hours and think about her every single time you do it, and give back to the community in the way that she did."
If he violates any of the circumstances of his sentence, he can be sent to jail for up to 177 days, Silverstein ruled.
In response to the sentence, the attorney representing the Kinney family released a statement on their behalf:
While Beverly Kinney’s family respects the judge’s ruling, they are understandably disappointed because the sentence doesn’t reflect the full impact of this tragic event. We are committed to continuing our civil case against Mr. Willis and Metro ensuring those who put a driver with an abysmal record behind the wheel are held accountable. We will keep pushing for changes to protect others and to honor Beverly’s life.
In June, Kinney's family announced they are suing Willis and the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, which operates Metro.
Kinney's estate is "seeking accountability for the misconduct that caused [Kinney's] tragic death, and to encourage reforms needed to prevent other such senseless injuries and deaths," according to the civil complaint.
According to the civil complaint, after he got a better look at what happened, Willis also put the bus in reverse and backed up roughly 3 feet while Kinney was still under the Metro bus before he began making phone calls.
"Willis's actions were negligent or reckless and were the sole proximate cause of the accident and of Beverly's death," the complaint reads.
Kinney's estate is suing for thousands in damages, but it also wants SORTA to undergo an independent audit of its policies and procedures for hiring, training and retaining drivers. They want the results of that audit to be made public, as well.
On Jan. 11, CPD's Traffic Unit was called to the intersection of Dana Avenue and Duck Creek Road near Interstate 71 to investigate a fatal crash involving a Metro bus and a pedestrian.
Police said Kinney was crossing Duck Creek Road at Dana Avenue on a marked crosswalk when a Metro bus, being driven by Deon Willis, turned onto Duck Creek Road and hit her.
The crash report said Willis "was found to be operating with a suspended driver's license status." Brandy Jones, senior vice president of external affairs for Metro said on Jan. 17 that a third-party company's report sent to Metro determined the driver's license was valid as of Jan. 4.
Court records also showed that Willis had other traffic violations going back 20 years. Many of the charges were dismissed or ignored, but there were prior tickets for driving with a suspended license in 1999 and driving without a license in 2008.
According to Willis' personnel file, he has been involved in three other crashes since Metro hired him in February 2018.
Willis was issued a written warning in his personnel file for each incident. Willis was also documented for other safety violations that did not result in a crash.
Willis's sister, Jamisha Willis, told WCPO 9 that her brother's previous driving offenses don't make him a criminal, and that he's haunted every day by what happened to Kinney.
"Deon is not the type of person you're trying to make him out of and that's all I've got to say," Jamisha Willis said.
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