Published: Saturday, April 14, 2007
Minister, wife forgive man who killed their son in crash
The defendant was sentenced to six years in prison.
LISBON — A minister said he and his wife have forgiven the man who killed their son in a car wreck.
Pastor Doug Simpson, senior minister at Perry Christian Church in Canton, spoke during the sentencing hearing Friday in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court for Martin E. Gubesch, 30, of Minerva.
Pastor Simpson and his wife, Vickie, also live in Minerva. Gubesch had written to the parents.
"I got your letter yesterday," Pastor Simpson told Gubesch, "and we do forgive you."
The calm pastor then hugged the upset Gubesch.
The pastor added, "I don't want you to bear the guilt of this."
Gubesch had pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide, a felony, and misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of alcohol and driving while under a license suspension.
What happened
About 5 a.m. Feb. 5, 2006, Gubesch was driving his pickup truck on U.S. Route 30 in West Township.
He failed to make a turn, lost control, and the vehicle hit a utility pole and overturned. His passenger, Adam Simpson, 24, died of multiple trauma.
The accident occurred on a Sunday, and people came to the church to tell the couple what happened. The pastor then went to identify his son's body.
"I know he was a good kid," Simpson said, "but we can't bring him back."
The Simpsons also have two sons who reside in Kentucky.
Gubesch tested for a blood alcohol concentration of 0.101. In Ohio, 0.08 is considered legally intoxicated. Court records said that his license had been suspended from March 2005 to March 2006.
The minister said he would pray that Gubesch would find peace.
"We will suffer without our son's presence," he said.
The pastor noted that he and his family had to drive past the site of the accident on the way to the hearing.
He asked Gubesch to write a check on the fifth day of every month for $24, and to send the money to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, in the memory of Adam — a reference to the date of the accident and the victim's age. Gubesch said he would write a check every year after he is released from prison.
The pastor said he did not care if Gubesch sent a check once a month or once a year to the organization.
When Gubesch was allowed to speak, he said, "I am sorry. He was my friend, too."
Judge David Tobin sentenced Gubesch to six years in prison for aggravated vehicular homicide, drunk driving and driving under suspension.
After the hearing, the minister said that MADD had been a great help to his family after the accident.
The pastor said his goal was to help Gubesch gain a sense of accountability to a worthy organization. People, he said, may have problems if they do not account for their actions to an individual or group.
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