Driver who hit, dragged 9-year-old girl was 4x over legal limit for intoxication, police say

DAYTON — Police say a man admitted on-camera to hitting and dragging a 9-year-old girl riding her bike. Now, they’re revealing how high his blood alcohol levels were at the time of the crash.

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Police said on Wednesday that Jeffrey Atkinson, 55, had a blood alcohol level that was four times the legal limit when he plowed into a family legally in the crosswalk on Wayne Avenue in July. The collision trapped 9-year-old Ashley Escalante and dragged her for nearly a half mile. He then kept going.

Witnesses helped police track Atkinson down miles away at the bar he owns, Cowboys Lido Bar. They cuffed him and, hours later, tried to give him a sobriety test which he declined.

At the time of the crash, police believe Atkinson’s blood alcohol level was .34. That’s more than four times Ohio’s legal limit for driving. Officers also discovered marijuana and a very strong prescription drug that causes drowsiness and dizziness in his system.

Police say this whole situation was a tragedy that could have been avoided.

“A person got behind the wheel at four times the legal limit and now a girl’s life and her family, and the community, has changed forever because of that,” Sgt. Gordon Cairns, Commander of Dayton Police’s Traffic Services Unit, said.

As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, Mike Campbell reached out to Escalante’s family. Her mother said she is still in the hospital waiting for further surgeries.

“We still live that day like yesterday watching Ashley struggle to walk again during her therapies,” Mayra Martinez, Escalante’s mother said. “It is very hard for us...we want justice for her.”

Atkinson is charged with vehicular assault and OVI, among other things. He remains in the Montgomery County Jail on a $250,000 bond.

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