WAPAKONETA, Ohio — Charges have been filed in connection with a fatal crash that happened last year in Auglaize County.
Court records show Jeffrey Hayden Odenweller, now 23, of Elida, has been charged with a 3rd degree felony count of aggravated vehicular homicide in the July 30, 2025 crash that claimed the life of 35-year-old Tara Skeens of Spencerville.
The crash occurred just before 9:30 p.m. at the intersection of State Route 197 and Conant Road. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Odenweller failed to stop at a stop sign while traveling southbound on Conant Road and struck a pickup truck driven by 35-year-old Michael Makar of Spencerville.
Both vehicles went off the roadway into a cornfield, with the pickup overturning. Skeens, a passenger in the truck, suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to Mercy Health – St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima, where she later died. Makar was injured and later released from the hospital.
Troopers reported that Odenweller was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. Alcohol was suspected as a factor, and toxicology results took several months to complete.
Aggravated vehicular homicide is a third-degree felony in Ohio and carries a possible prison sentence of up to 36 months.
Odenweller was formally charged on January 14, 2026. A hearing in the case is scheduled for February 2, 2026, in Auglaize County Common Pleas Court.
WCSM Radio contributed to this report.
