Crime & Safety

Man Who Crashed Into Mentor Home Receives Maximum Sentence

Daniel Vanderhoof Jr. of WIlloughby, who injured a family of four in December, will serve a 16-year sentence

The man who crashed into a Mentor home in December, severely injuring a family of four, has received the maximum sentence.

Lake County Court of Common Pleas Judge Eugene Lucci sentenced Daniel Vanderhoof Jr. to 16 years in jail Wednesday, according to a text alert from The News-Herald.

Vanderhoof pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated vehicular assault and one count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated in February.

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Prosecutors said Vanderhoof, 28, of Willoughby, was speeding and his blood-alcohol limit was more than twice the legal limit of .08 when he crashed into the Blare-Lukasiewicz family's house on Comanche Trail in the middle of the night on December 9.

Each family member — father Christopher Lukasiewicz, mother Tonya Blare, 3-year-old son Christopher Lukasiewicz Jr. and 18-month-old daughter Cassy Lukasiewicz — needed medical attention after the crash. The father and son required physical therapy in the months following the crash.

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The crash also damaged the family's house beyond repair, prompting Lake National Bank and Huntington National Bank to accept donations on behalf of the Blare-Lukasiewicz family.


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