Judge denies limited driving privileges for man convicted in deadly Trumbull County crash

Russell Lauer III

A Trumbull County judge has denied a request for limited driving privileges from the man convicted in a 2016 impaired driving crash that killed 27-year-old Brittany Szwedko.

Russell Lauer, of Cortland, was sentenced to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide, failure to stop after an accident, OVI, and a marked lanes violation. The crash happened while Szwedko was jogging along Ridge Road in Fowler Township. Investigators say Lauer, who was under the influence, struck her with his SUV and fled the scene.

Lauer was released from prison early last year. At Wednesday’s hearing in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court, his attorney argued that Lauer is a rehabilitated man who has complied with parole, cares for his elderly father, and needs limited driving privileges for work and medical appointments.

However, Szwedko’s family took the stand urging the court to uphold the lifetime driving ban. Three members of the family delivered emotional statements, including her mother, Mary Kay Szwedko, and sister, Jayna Szwedko.

“He didn’t learn his lesson the first times — what makes anyone think he’s changed now?” Jayna told the court.

Mary Kay added, “His inconvenience is our lifetime sentence. He should never be behind the wheel again.”

Stepfather Dan Lanese also addressed the court, reading a letter on behalf of Brittany’s brother, Nick Szwedko, who lives in Colorado and could not attend in person. In the letter, Nick described the family's “lifetime sentence of grief and loss” and said allowing Lauer to drive again would dishonor Brittany’s memory and endanger others.

Judge Cynthia Rice ultimately denied the request, citing Lauer’s repeated OVI convictions and his actions after the crash.

“The most important thing to me, Mr. Lauer, is the fact that you left the scene of the accident and didn’t really seem to care that you had hit someone and left them in the ditch,” Rice said during her ruling. “That speaks volumes for your character, which is lacking.”

Brittany’s family says they’ll continue to fight any future attempts by Lauer to regain driving privileges.

“My number one life goal is to have Brittany’s memory — never her — never to be forgotten, and to have justice for her every step of the way,” said Mary Kay Szwedko.