A Fairlawn man was sentenced to probation Thursday, nearly nine years after his friend drowned in Lake Erie.
Prosecutors said Scott Speer, 46, received an 18-month suspended sentence during his sentencing hearing before Ottawa County Common Pleas Judge Bruce Winters.
Speer previously pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and vehicular homicide.
James Barnett, 39, of Barberton, drowned in the water near Port Clinton on Aug. 6, 2002. Barnett and Speer were alone on a boat.
Wednesday’s sentencing ends a long criminal case that saw Speer indicted on aggravated murder charges several years after the drowning. Prosecutors at one time alleged that Speer pushed Barnett from the boat.
A jury later convicted Speer of aggravated vehicular homicide and involuntary manslaughter and acquitted him of aggravated murder and murder. An appeals court overturned the convictions after concluding Speer didn’t receive a fair trial.
A hearing-impaired woman on the jury couldn’t fully comprehend the vocal nuances in Speer’s 911 call, a key piece of evidence in the case, the court decided.
Speer, who originally was sentenced to four years in prison, served about 14 months before winning his appeal. He was freed afterward.
Under the terms of his sentencing, Prosecutor Mark Mulligan said Speer also was ordered to serve 200 hours of community service and to pay more than $17,000 in court costs. His driver’s license was suspended for one year.