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LISBON -- Corey M.S. Evans, the 19-year-old Negley man facing aggravated vehicular homicide charges in the death of 15-year-old Angela Perkins, appeared in Common Pleas Court Monday for the conclusion of a suppression hearing that started in early January.
Chief Assistant County Prosecutor Ryan Weikart brought phlebotomist Brittany Kucko to the stand. Kucko was working at Salem Regional Medical Center in the early hours of Feb. 26, 2021, the night a trooper from the Ohio State Highway Patrol requested she draw the blood of Evans for analysis following the fatal crash on state Route 154 between Negley and Rogers on Feb. 25, 2021.
Kucko briefly described the process she went through to obtain the blood, using an iodine swab and vacuum tubes provided by the Highway Patrol, along with a clean needle the hospital provides. It is the same procedure she said she uses about five times a year when requested by law enforcement.
The testimony of Kucko was preceded in January by the testimony of Troopers Bruce Palmer and Timothy Myers, along with Sgt. Daniel Morris about their investigation regarding the fatal crash. That included the steps troopers took as they determined signs showed Evans could have been impaired.
Evans is charged with two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and two counts of operating the vehicle under the influence, including one that alleges he was under the influence of methamphetamines. He also reportedly admitted to taking Adderall the day before, drinking two shots of Malibu rum at about 4 p.m. that day and smoking marijuana that morning. Evans reportedly claimed he consumed methamphetamines a week before the crash, but two needles were reportedly found in the wreckage.
The motion to suppress filed by defense attorney Jennifer Gorby, alleged there was no probable reason for testing Evans' blood and that it was not seized according to federal guidelines. Additionally, she claims his rights were violated and he was questioned without counsel present.
Following Monday's testimony Judge Megan Bickerton said she would take the motion to suppress under advisement. The trial for Evans remains scheduled for April 19 and he remains in the county jail with a $50,000 cash/surety bond.