23 year old Elida man sentenced in Auglaize County fatal crash case

A 23 year old man from Elida has been sentenced in connection with a deadly crash that happened last summer in Auglaize County.

Court records show Jeffrey Hayden Odenweller, 23, of Elida was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide in the July 30, 2025 crash that claimed the life of 35 year old Tara Skeens of Spencerville.

The crash happened just before 9:30 p.m. at the intersection of State Route 197 and Conant Road. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, investigators said Odenweller failed to stop at a stop sign while traveling southbound on Conant Road and struck a pickup truck driven by 35 year old Michael Makar of Spencerville. Both vehicles went off the roadway into a cornfield and the pickup overturned.

Skeens was taken to Mercy Health St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima, where she later died. Makar was injured and later released from the hospital. Troopers previously reported Odenweller was not wearing a seatbelt and alcohol was suspected as a factor.

Odenweller was formally charged January 14, 2026, and the case went to court Monday in Auglaize County Common Pleas Court. The Auglaize County Prosecutor’s Office says Odenweller entered a no contest plea to the third degree felony charge of aggravated vehicular homicide.

Prosecutors say the court sentenced him to 54 months in prison and imposed a 50 year driver’s license suspension. The sentence also includes court costs and restitution, with additional restitution expected to be handled separately through a civil case.