Former Ohio State All-American Charged in Fatal Drunk Driving Crash
A former Ohio State All-American offensive lineman and NFL Draft pick has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide following a crash in Dublin, Ohio early Saturday morning.
Kirk Barton, 40, is accused of driving a Ford F150 Raptor pickup truck “at a high rate of speed” on U.S. 33 before entering Historic Dublin at around 3 a.m., according to NBC4i.com. Barton then collided with a Lexus on West Bridge Street, just west of Franklin Street.
The driver of the Lexus, 24-year-old Ethan Perry, was pronounced dead at the scene. Barton, meanwhile, suffered non-life threatening injuries and was taken to Riverside Methodist Hospital and later released into police custody.
The Lewis Center, Ohio resident was taken to Franklin County Jail, where he was booked on a charge of aggravated vehicular homicide as the result of driving under the influence, a second-degree felony.
Barton, who is also owner of the website BuckeyeScoop.com, is due in court for arraignment Monday morning at 9 a.m.
A native of Naples, Florida native, Barton was a member of the Ohio State football program from 2003-07 and started at right tackle for four seasons.
As a fifth-year senior in 2007, Barton served as a team captain and was named first-team All-Big Ten and All-American. He went on to be drafted in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears and played in one game for the team as a rookie.
Barton bounced around various other NFL teams and practice squads until his playing career ended following the 2010 season. In recent years, he has been no stranger to controversy, and even had a run-in with the law in 2018.
However, this latest situation is the most serious problem Barton has faced, by far.