ELYRIA — A Vermilion woman pleaded guilty Thursday to vehicular homicide and other charges in connection with an April car crash that left a Vermilion motorcyclist dead.

Tiffany Eaton, 32, likely will be sentenced to about four years behind bars when she goes before a judge early next year, said her attorney, Doug Merrill.

Eaton was turning her car east onto U.S. Route 6 from Avon Avenue when 59-year-old Joseph Haslage struck her vehicle about 2:30 a.m. April 26. Haslage, who was not wearing a helmet, was thrown about 30 feet, and died of head injuries at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland.

Eaton fled the scene of the crash, leaving behind her purse and cell phone, but turned herself in later that same day at 12:15 p.m., the same time Haslage died at the hospital, according to Vermilion police.

She later told officers that she had left a bar to get cigarettes and that Haslage was on the wrong side of the road when the crash took place, but police said the evidence didn’t match up with her recounting.

Because of the time that passed between the crash and when she turned herself in, police said it was impossible to know if Eaton was intoxicated at the time of the crash.

In addition to vehicular homicide charge, Eaton also pled guilty to vehicular manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident, possession of marijuana and failure to yield.

Merrill said Eaton took the plea because she wanted to take responsibility.

“She was pretty upset,” Merrill said. “She wanted to get it over with and she didn’t want to go through a trial. She didn’t want to put that family through a trial.”

Contact Brad Dicken at 329-7147 or bdicken@chroniclet.com.

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