25 year old Trey Frech of New Paris has pleaded guilty in Mercer County Common Pleas Court to 4 felony charges including aggravated vehicular homicide and vehicular assault in connection to a 2023 crash with a horse drawn buggy on State Route 49 near Oregon Road. The crash claimed the life of a 1 year old child and injured members of the child's family. As part of this plea, other charges against Frech were dismissed. Frech will be sentenced on Wednesday February 19th. 

Original press release from the accident:

(12-22-23) Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey reports that his office is investigating a fatal traffic crash that occurred this evening, December 22^nd, 2023.  Mercer County Central Dispatch received a 9-1-1 call at 5:18 PM of a traffic crash on St Rte 49, north of Oregon Rd in Liberty Township.

The preliminary investigation revealed that Trey Frech (24) of New Paris, OH was driving a 2016 white Chevy sedan northbound on St Rte 49.  A John Schwartz (24) of Celina, OH was traveling with his family southbound in a horse driven buggy.  Frech went in to the southbound lane to pass a northbound van and then struck the Schwartz buggy head-on.  Frech was ejected from his vehicle. 

Frech was air lifted from the scene by Lutheran Air and transported to Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, IN. Schwartz was transported by Celina EMS, Squad 6, to Mercer Health in Coldwater and was treated and released.  Elizabeth Schwartz (26) who is seven months pregnant, was transported by Squad 6 to Mercer Health and was later transferred to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton. John Schwartz Jr, (3) was transported by Squad 6 to Mercer Health.  John and Elizabeth Schwartz’s daughter, Roseanne (1) was pronounced deceased at the scene.  The horse was seriously injured and later passed.

Assisting at the scene were members of the Chatt Fire Department, Celina EMS, Rockford EMS and MCERV.    

The Mercer County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Team was called to the scene.  This crash remains under investigation at this time and will be forwarded to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office for review.