Journal-News, Hamilton, Ohio
PREBLE COUNTY, Ohio — A two-vehicle crash killed two people, including a Preble County Sheriff’s deputy, in Gratis Twp. early this morning.
The Preble County Sheriff’s Office identified the deputy as 34-year-old Joshua Hamilton from Eldorado. The second driver was identified as 36-year-old Michael Gayheart II from West Elkton.
Crews responded to reports of a crash involving a sheriff’s cruiser around 4 a.m. in the 4700 block of state Route 503, between Gratis and West Alexandria.
Hamilton was traveling south on state Route 503 in a marked 2018 Ford Explorer, while Gayhart was heading north when they collided in a head-on crash.
A 911 caller who spotted the wrecked vehicles said he thought the crash must have happened recently.
He said the deputy was unresponsive and that the other vehicle was on its side with major damage to its front.
“It’s bad,” the man said.
Hamilton was taken to the Kettering Preble ER Campus in Eaton, where he was pronounced dead. Gayhart also died in the crash. No passengers were in either vehicle when the crash occurred.
Hamilton had been with the sheriff’s office since May 2022. He worked in the Preble County Jail before he was promoted in June to road patrol, the sheriff’s office said.
He is survived by parents and his 10-year-old daughter.
Law enforcement across Ohio and beyond extended condolences to Hamilton’s family and fellow deputies.
Both the north and south lanes of state Route 503 were closed as a result of the crash and have since reopened.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is handling the crash investigation.
___
(c)2023 the Journal-News (Hamilton, Ohio)
Visit the Journal-News (Hamilton, Ohio) at www.journal-news.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
