A Columbus man who fatally struck a Grove City couple exchanging information after a minor crash on New Year’s Day is now facing criminal charges.
Joseph Moore, 36, of the Far West Side, was indicted by a grand jury on May 8 on two counts each of aggravated vehicular homicide, aggravated vehicular assault, and operating a vehicle while under the influence.
Moore is accused of being behind the wheel of a Dodge Dakota around 1 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2025, when he struck Keith Klatt, 56, and his wife, Joellen Klatt, 53, who were standing outside of their vehicle at the intersection of Alkire and Norton Roads.
The Klatts had been involved in a noninjury crash with another vehicle at the intersection a short time before and were exchanging information with that driver, Columbus police said. The couple were on either side of their vehicle, a Hyundai Elantra, according to a crash report.
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The crash report says Moore was headed east on Alkire Road when his Dodge struck the front of the Hyundai, which was pushed into Joellen Klatt and then into a ditch on the side of the road. Moore continued driving, hitting Keith Klatt and another vehicle that was passing the scene at the time.
Keith Klatt died at the scene from his injuries. Joellen Klatt died about 40 minutes later at a nearby hospital, police said.
Moore was detained at the scene but charges were not immediately filed. The crash report shows his blood alcohol level was determined to be 0.156, nearly two times the legal limit.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@gannett.com or on Bluesky at @bethanybruner.dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Driver charged in fatal Columbus crash that killed Grove City couple