SEYMOUR — A Seymour man has been sentenced to 17 years in prison following a fatal hit-and-run collision that claimed the life of an 87-year-old resident.
The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office announced that 55-year-old Omar Donald received his sentence this week in Jackson Circuit Court. The sentencing follows a plea agreement in which Donald pleaded guilty to a Level 4 felony charge of Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Death or Catastrophic Injury.
The case originated from an early morning incident on November 2, 2024. At approximately 7:10 a.m., emergency personnel responded to a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle in the 200 block of South Chestnut Street.
Upon arrival, first responders found the pedestrian, Ronald Jarvis, 87, of Seymour, unresponsive in the roadway. Due to the severity of his injuries, Jarvis was critically stabilized at the scene before being airlifted by medical helicopter to IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Despite the efforts of medical staff, Jarvis later succumbed to his injuries.
Witnesses at the scene informed responding officers that the driver of the vehicle did not attempt to stop or render aid after striking the elderly man. Instead, the driver accelerated away from the scene, fleeing westbound down Tipton Street.
Seymour Police Department investigators spent the day canvassing the area and reviewing tracking data. Later that evening, officers located a suspect vehicle parked outside a residence on South Chestnut Street. After securing a judicial search warrant, police seized the vehicle as evidence for forensic processing.
Donald was identified as the operator of the vehicle at the time of the crash and was taken into custody. During initial police interrogations, he refused to answer any questions regarding his whereabouts or the collision. However, subsequent forensic analysis of the physical evidence collected from the vehicle firmly tied Donald to the crash site, prompting formal criminal charges.
Following the sentencing, Jackson County Prosecutor Lynsey N. Fleetwood sharply rebuked Donald’s actions, emphasizing the preventable nature of the tragedy.
“Donald made the deliberate decision to flee the scene rather than stop to render aid or contact emergency services,” Fleetwood said. “Instead of doing what the law and basic human decency requires, he abandoned the scene and left others to deal with the tragic consequences of his actions.”
Fleetwood stated that the 17-year prison term directly reflects the gravity of the offense. She expressed hope that the resolution of the criminal case provides a definitive measure of justice and accountability for the severe loss endured by the Jarvis family.
