Amherst woman charged with vehicular assault in Oberlin

An Amherst woman awaits indictment by the Lorain County grand jury on charges of aggravated vehicular assault following an accident that sent four people to the hospital.

Sharon Bashak of Amherst was arrested Tuesday, June 13, after fleeing the scene of the accident on North Park Street in Oberlin. She faces two counts of aggravated vehicular assault, among other charges.

According to police reports, an Elyria woman was northbound stopped in traffic in front of 48 North Park St. when she saw Bashak's vehicle approaching from the rear. The woman began to move forward, but Bashak ran into the back of her vehicle, pushing it more than 70 feet.

The woman said Bashak drove around her car and continued north, turning east on East Lorain Street. The first officer to respond searched for Bashak's vehicle on East Lorain Street.

Failing to find her on Lorain Street, the officer turned north onto Oberlin Road and found Bashak's vehicle parked in a driveway about two miles north of the city limits. Bashak denied being in an accident, although the front end of her vehicle was heavily damaged and her airbag was deployed.

Her speech was slurred and she swayed back and forth while talking with the officer. The officer noted seeing a prescription bottle with a drowsiness warning label inside the vehicle.

When asked to perform a field sobriety test, Bashak complained of neck pain. The officer transported her to Allen Community Hospital, where she refused to submit to a blood test for drugs.

One of the passengers in the Elyria woman's car was treated for a laceration below his right eye, and a second passenger complained of severe pain to her neck and back. The Elyria woman and a third passenger were transported to the hospital with possible injuries.

Bashak was charged with two counts of aggravated vehicular assault, leaving the scene of an accident, operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, driving under suspension for a prior OVI conviction, refusal of a chemical test after a prior OVI conviction, and failure to maintain an assured clear distance.

At her arraignment in Oberlin Municipal Court on Wednesday, June 18, she pleaded not guilty waived a preliminary hearing on the felony counts. She is free on $35,750 bond.