Kevin Shuffitt
A change of plea hearing for a local man facing three felony cases including armed robbery and causing a fatal crash is set for Monday.
Kevin W. Shuffitt, 21, is scheduled to appear before Bartholomew Superior Court 1 Judge James Worton at 9:45 a.m.
On Nov. 8, witnesses reported seeing a speeding truck driven by Shuffitt hit another vehicle two times on Seventh Street near Cottage Avenue, Columbus Police spokesman Lt. Matt Harris said.
When the defendant’s truck entered the busy intersection of Seventh Street and Central Avenue, it struck a third vehicle driven by Kelley Stillabower. Her passenger and husband, Jeremy O. Stillabower, was rushed to IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. After suffering injuries that included shattered ribs, a punctured lung and a collapsed lung, Jeremy Stillabower later died from his injuries, investigators said.
As a result, Shuffitt was charged with a Level 5 felony of criminal recklessness where the defendant commits aggressive driving and kills another person. In addition, the defendant is facing two counts of criminal recklessness committed with a deadly weapon, both Level 6 offenses, one misdemeanor count of reckless driving and one misdemeanor charge of driving while suspended.
In the second case, Shuffitt was one of three people arrested in connection with an armed robbery that occurred on July 12, 2021. The victim was held at gunpoint in the 1000 block of California St. and struck in the face several times with a pellet gun before the perpetrators stole his bicycle.
Shuffitt was charged with robbery resulting in bodily injury as a Level 3 felony, according to court records.
Local law enforcement had been looking for Shuffitt on a criminal warrant charging him with unlawful possession of a syringe as a Level 6 felony and a misdemeanor charge of possession of paraphernalia. These offenses date back to Oct. 3, 2020, according to online court records.
Court and arrest records show that Shuffitt has given at least three different home addresses to law enforcement that include one home on Eighth Street, another on Short Wilson Street and a residence on Cleveland Street.
