Alum Creek accident boat driver waives right to speedy trial

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The operator of a boat who was involved in an August 2015 boating accident at Alum Creek Lake that killed an Australian teenager has waived his right to a speedy trial in Delaware Municipal Court.

Andrew Lehman, 35, of 6259 Worthington Road, Westerville, appeared in Delaware Municipal Court on Wednesday and waived his right to a speedy trial, which requires the court to try the case within 90 days after charges are filed.

Delaware city prosecutors told Municipal Judge Marianne Hemmeter that they had not been able to work out a deal with Lehman and his attorney, Adam Nemann.

Lehman is charged with reckless operation, failure to take action to avoid a collision, failure to travel at a safe speed, and failure to keep proper look-out, which are all misdemeanor charges.

A trial in Delaware Municipal Court has not been scheduled yet. The trial will likely between two and three days.

Officials from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources reported that on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2015, at about 4 p.m. ODNR authorities received a call about a woman who was reportedly hit by a boat in Alum Creek Lake in Delaware County. The woman, 19-year-old Morgan Montgomery, of Willunga, Australia, had been water-skiing when she fell into the water and was hit by Lehman’s boat.

Authorities searched the reservoir into the night Sunday but called off the search when it was too dark to safely search the waters. The search resumed the next morning and Montgomery’s body was recovered the evening of Monday, Aug. 3, in an area north of the beach and south of the marina.

Montgomery was reportedly attending a church camp for youths between the ages of 13 and 18 years old. Water-skiing is among several activities for Ohio Teen Camp, one of several camps sponsored by the Living Church of God in Charlotte, North Carolina.

By Glenn Battishill

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Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903 or on Twitter @BattishillDG.

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