RUSSELLVILLE, Ohio — A Tri-State family is demanding justice after a 22-year-old man was killed in a hit-and-run crash while taking his nightly walk to help with his insomnia.
Caleb Holbert was hit and killed by a driver on State Route 125 in Jefferson Township early Friday morning. The driver fled the scene but turned himself in through an attorney Friday evening, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
"(My brother) was such a beautiful soul," Callie Holbert, Caleb's younger sister, told me. "I saw that he was going to change the world."
The alleged driver has not yet been charged in connection with the crash.
Late-night walks helped with sleep struggles
Callie said her brother struggled with insomnia and had learned over the years that no medications would help him sleep. Instead, he would take long walks to physically exhaust himself.
"My brother found out that what helped him was exhausting his body physically to the point of being able to crash," she said.
Callie told me the night of the crash, Caleb had spent time with family watching a movie before going on his walk around 11 p.m. Callie believes he was on his second walk when he was struck.
"He usually takes two walks to exhaust him enough," she said. "He's the one who taught me how to safely walk the road. You walk on the same side of traffic so you can see if something's coming towards you."
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the crash occurred between 12:40 a.m. and 1 a.m. Friday on State Route 125 near mile marker 16. Callie said her brother was near his parents' Russellville home.
OSHP said the driver was heading eastbound in a 2020 Ford Escape eastbound when he traveled left of center and struck Caleb, who was walking eastbound on the westbound shoulder. The driver then left the scene.
"The driver had to have gone fully into the other lane of traffic," Callie said. "We know that (Caleb) was hit from behind. So he didn't see it coming."
Caleb died instantly from his injuries, Callie said.
Rumpke driver found Caleb
Kevin Howell, a Rumpke driver who knew Caleb, discovered him around 4 a.m. Friday. Howell blocked the road with his truck and called 911.
"He has reached out to our family personally. He has given his condolences," Callie said. "The suspect left my brother there to die. He left and (Howell) stayed."
Callie said she and others cleaned up the crash scene Saturday to spare other family members and friends from seeing the aftermath.
Suspect turned himself in through attorney
On Friday evening, the Brown County Prosecutor's Office was contacted by a private attorney representing the alleged driver, OSHP said. The Georgetown Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol was then notified.
Callie Holbert said she has no sympathy for the driver who fled the scene.
"I will fight until he is behind bars and never gets the chance to see the light of day again," she said. "Whether you want to call it a hit and run or not, my brother died because of this man."
She said some people have expressed concern for the suspect, suggesting he may have had health issues, but she believes if that were true, he would not have driven off.
"If he felt sorry, he would have turned himself in sooner," she said.
Family remembers young man with potential
Caleb on his parents' property in Russellville. His sister described him as someone who helped others despite his own struggles.
"He went through so much hurt and so much damage. And still somehow had such a beautiful soul," Callie said. "He helped even when he didn't really have the ability to help and shouldn't have been helping because of the struggle he was dealing with."
She told me, if the driver is charged, she plans to attend every court date as the case moves forward, seeking justice for her brother.
The crash remains under investigation by the Georgetown Post. Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information is encouraged to contact the Georgetown Post at (513) 378-6191.
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