Seymour man sentenced in fatal hit-and-run accident

A Seymour man has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for a hit and run accident that killed a pedestrian.

According to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, Omar Donald was sentenced this week after pleading guilty to a felony charge of Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Death or Catastrophic Injury.

The case stems from an incident in November of 2024 when a pedestrian was struck in the 200 block of South Chestnut at about 7:10 a.m. the morning of November 2nd. The pedestrian, 87-year-old Ronald Jarvis of Seymour, was unresponsive at the scene and was flown to IU Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis for treatment where he later died. Witnesses said that the driver of the vehicle did not stop, instead driving away down Tipton Street. Later that evening, police found the suspect vehicle at a home on South Chestnut Street and after receiving a search warrant, took the vehicle into evidence.

Donald was the driver of the vehicle and was taken into custody but refused to answer any questions. After Jarvis’ death, a search warrant was issued and evidence collected from the vehicle, which led to Donald’s arrest.

Prosecutor Lynsey N. Fleetwood said that “Donald made the deliberate decision to flee the scene rather than stop to render aid or contact emergency services.” She said that “Instead of doing what the law and basic human decency requires, he abandoned the scene and left others to deal with the tragic consequences of his actions.”

Fleetwood said the sentence reflects the seriousness of the crime and hopes that the outcome provides a measure of justice and accountability for the loss the Jarvis family suffered.