An Akron police sergeant’s career has ended because of an August drunken-driving accident that seriously injured his wife.
Sgt. Vince Yurick pleaded guilty last week to aggravated vehicular assault, a fourth-degree felony, and operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, a first-degree misdemeanor.
He resigned from the police department March 24. With a felony conviction, he would be prohibited from handling a handgun and could no longer be an officer.
Yurick will be sentenced by Summit County Common Pleas Judge Alison McCarty at 10:30 a.m. April 28. He faces up to 18 months in prison.
Under a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped a third-degree felony aggravated vehicular assault charge. The case is being handled by a special prosecutor, Scott Salisbury, who is an assistant prosecutor in Medina County.
McCarty ordered a pre-sentence investigation and victim-impact statement.
Yurick, 46, a 19-year veteran of the department, was driving about 9 p.m. Aug. 7 when he lost control of his vehicle, went left of center, struck a curb and smashed into a tree on Canterbury Circle, according to reports. The crash injured Yurick and his wife, Glynn Yurick, who sustained lasting brain injuries.
Yurick was on paid administrative leave until his resignation last month.
Brian Pierce, one of Yurick’s attorneys, declined comment Monday until after the sentencing. Yurick’s other attorney is Joseph Gorman.
The arrests of Yurick and two other Akron police officers for off-duty drunken-driving incidents within a three-month period last summer prompted Chief James Nice to question what was happening and what could be done to stop it. Nice said he was “ticked” about the spate of arrests.
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705, swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com and on Twitter: @swarsmithabj .