Apr. 14—LIMA — A Lima man whose blood alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit when his vehicle struck a man who was unloading items from his car last summer was sentenced Monday in Allen County Common Pleas Court to a minimum of 5 1/2 years in prison.
Anthony Hardesty Jr., 25, was indicted by a grand jury in August 2024 on charges of aggravated vehicular assault, failure to stop after an accident, operating a vehicle under the influence and driving under suspension.
He entered into a deal with prosecutors in February and pleaded guilty to a second-degree felony count of aggravated vehicular assault and the failure to stop charge. Judge Jeffrey Reed followed the recommendation of Special Prosecutor Ray Grogan of Marion County with his sentence for Hardesty. In addition to the prison term, Reed suspended Hardesty’s driver’s license for life.
The charges stemmed from a June 29 traffic accident in Lima where Nathan Richard was struck as he was unloading items from the back of his car on North Dixon Avenue in Lima. Richard was pinned between two vehicles and suffered extensive injuries to his lower extremities.
Hardesty left the scene but was located a short time after the accident in a backyard on West Market Street. Grogan said that after the crash Hardesty “got out of his truck, ran several blocks and then disrobed.” He was found hiding in the back yard of a residence.
Richard told the court he has undergone several surgeries and is still required to use a walker to get around. His wife spoke of the emotional toll the accident has taken on her husband and her family but says she has “no hate” for the victim. Both asked the judge for a fair and just sentence.
“Likely I will never walk or run correctly again,” Nathan Richard told Reed. “I know God loves us, but my struggles have been to understand the good in what God has put before me.”
Richard asked that Reed’s sentence contain an element of mercy, saying, “I ask that your sentence reflect the pain that he (Hardesty) has inflicted on my body and soul, but I ask for justice and mercy as well.”
Hardesty wept as he asked the victim for forgiveness.
“I’m sorry for the pain I have cause you. It’s the biggest mistake I’ve made in my life. I’ve lost everything; I regret everything,” Hardesty told Richard and his wife. “I’ve prayed for nine months for God to heal you. I pray you will forgive me.”
Reed said he appreciated the humble words of the victim and his wife.
“I’m touched by your expression of faith and your request for mercy,” the judge said. “I don’t hear that very often.”
It was suggested Monday that a civil lawsuit surrounding the crash will be forthcoming.
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