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77-year-old pleads no contest to hitting officer with car

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By Denise G. Callahan, Staff Writer Updated 2:28 AM Wednesday, March 17, 2010

MASON — A Mason woman pleaded no contest today, March 16, to charges she hit a police officer with her car in front of St. Susanna Catholic Church and left the scene.

Eleanor Donovan, 77, 3933 Sandtrap Circle, was charged with one misdemeanor count of failure to stop and leaving the scene. After she hit Officer Scott Miller with her car on Feb. 28, she briefly got out of her car, but then fled the scene, according to Police Chief Mike Kelly.

She turned herself in to police Friday, March 6.

Donovan’s driver’s license was suspended for 45 and she must attend a class at Bethesda North that will determine if she can get it back. She was also placed on 90 days probation and fined $400, plus court costs.

City Prosecutor Bethany Bennett said the maximum penalty could have been 180 days in jail and up to a $1,000 fine. Bennett said the charge filed would have been the same had Donovan struck a fellow parishioner instead of a cop.

“The charge was chosen based on the facts,” Bennett said. “It was not chosen based on any other factors such as her age or things like that. If you look at the facts and you look at the code book, this is the charge that fits.”

Miller is recovering at home after being struck by Donovan’s 2009 Chevrolet Impala.

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4525 or dcallahan@coxohio.com.

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