LISBON A 65-year-old Columbiana man sentenced to prison for causing an injury crash while impaired has filed an appeal with the Seventh District Court of Appeals.

Christopher Mele filed the notice of appeal through his attorney. Mele is challenging the judgment entry filed Nov. 7 by Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Megan L. Bickerton.

Bickerton sentenced Mele to a mandatory term of 30 months in a state correctional facility. Mele had previously pleaded no contest to charges of aggravated vehicular assault, a third-degree felony, and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, a first-degree misdemeanor.

In addition to the prison term, the court ordered Mele to pay $6,697.14 in restitution. His driver's license was suspended for 10 years for the felony assault charge and one year for the OVI charge, with the suspensions running concurrently.

According to court documents, prosecutors merged a count of vehicular assault into the aggravated vehicular assault charge for sentencing purposes. A separate count was dismissed.

The charges stem from a traffic crash on State Route 14 near County Line Road. Police said Mele was driving an SUV that went left of center and struck an oncoming vehicle, seriously injuring a 24-year-old woman.