A Butler County man will spend a year in prison for a head-on crash on Ohio 741 in Turtlecreek Township that killed a 69-year-old Army veteran and author in April 2025.

Warren County Common Pleas Judge Robert Peeler, who previously served 25 years as prosecuting attorney for Mason and Deerfield Township, sentenced Franklin Brian Gross, 58, of College Corner on Wednesday to one year in prison with credit for 67 days already served in local jail, according to court records.

Gross pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and two minor misdemeanors: driving in marked lanes and operating a motor vehicle without being in control of it. A grand jury had originally indicted him on a felony charge of tampering with records and a misdemeanor falsification charge, both dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

The crash

The case stems from a collision reported at 11:05 a.m. on Monday, April 14, 2025, on Ohio 741 south of Greentree Road. Gross was driving a 2018 Kenworth T880 semi-tractor-trailer northbound when the truck drifted off the right side of the road, overcorrected, and crossed left of center, striking a 2001 Ford F-150 head-on, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol's Lebanon Post.

The driver of the pickup, David Randolph "Randy" Wills of Franklin, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Wills was a U.S. Army veteran, a two-time published author, and a member of the first baccalaureate graduating class of Kettering College of Medical Arts, according to his obituary. He is survived by his wife, five children, and 13 grandchildren.

No valid commercial license

According to the indictment, Gross did not hold a valid commercial driver's license and had falsified paperwork to obtain one. The felony tampering charge tied to that allegation was dropped under the plea deal.

Beyond the prison term, Gross was ordered to pay $300 in fines. His driver's license will be suspended for four years, and he faces up to two years of probation after his release, according to sentencing documents.