DAYTON — The man accused in a hit-and-run crash that killed a woman on Interstate 75 has pleaded not guilty to charges filed against him earlier this week.
Nicholas Debello, 37, appeared in court Thursday where he stood mute as a judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. During the appearance, a $100,000 bond was set for him and he was appointed an attorney.
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Debello was indicted by a Montgomery County grand jury Tuesday on failure to stop after an accident and tampering with evidence, according to Montgomery County Common Pleas court records
The Huber Heights man remains in Montgomery County Jail after being extradited from Boone County, Kentucky on May 12. He was arrested and spent just over two weeks in jail there.
Debello is accused of driving a truck that hit and killed Emily Ryan on I-75 near Dryden Road in Moraine on April 21. Ryan’s vehicle had broken down in the right lane of southbound I-75 around midnight.
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Police said Debello hit and killed Ryan, then continued on I-75 to the Dryden Road exit. Court documents filed in Kettering Municipal Court earlier this month revealed Debello drove to his father’s house and hid his truck in a trailer park for hours after the deadly crash. Security camera footage obtained by Moraine police found the truck and driver accused of hitting Ryan drove to the Aloha Trailer Park and hid from around 12:15 a.m. until just after 3 a.m., police said in the court documents, obtained by News Center 7.
Online jail records indicate he’ll appear in court next on June 22.