Glenn Walbolt was sentenced to 12 years in prison Tuesday afternoon for his role in the deaths of two
Grand Rapids teens in February.
Walbolt, 56, of Wapakoneta Road, Grand Rapids, pleaded no contest in July to two counts of aggravated
vehicular homicide in the death of Jacob Polen, 17, and David Todd, 18.
Lucas County Common Pleas Court Judge James Bates issued a six-year sentence on each count and ordered
the sentences to be served consecutively for the aggregate total of 12 years. Both counts were
second-degree felonies.
In the early morning hours of Feb. 11, Walbolt was driving the vehicle which crashed and killed both his
passengers who lived near him at the time in Grand Rapids.
According to the initial Ohio Highway Patrol report, the Grand Rapids man was driving north over the Ohio
578 bridge, which spans the Maumee River, around midnight when he lost control of the car. After
crossing U.S. 24 the car veered off the roadway north of Route 24 and hit a utility pole at a high rate
of speed.
Walbolt was judged guilty July 6 on those two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide involving the
crash. Two other counts were dismissed at sentencing.
Bates also ordered Walbolt to pay restitution to the court for costs which totaled more than $8,400. His
driver’s license was suspended for life.
Polen was a sophomore at Otsego High School, while Todd attended Penta Career Center and Otsego was his
home school. Both teens along with Walbolt resided at Grand Rapids Village Estates mobile home park on
Wapakoneta Road, about a mile from the crash site.
According to Jeff Lingo, a Lucas County prosecutor for the case, after the fatal crash, Walbolt’s blood
alcohol level tested as high as 0.202 more than twice the legal limit of 0.80. He also tested positive
for use of marijuana. Lingo said the test showed nearly twice the amount in his system to be legally
intoxicated.