A former Ottawa County man, in prison for a Lake Township crash that killed his wife, has been sentenced for sexual battery.
William Koperski, 40, appeared via video Friday in the courtroom of Wood County Common Pleas Judge Joel Kuhlman.
He is currently incarcerated in the Grafton (Ohio) Correctional Institution.
Koperski pleaded guilty in February to the amended charge of sexual battery, a felony of the third-degree, as part of an Alford plea.
As indicted, the charge was a second-degree felony, but the state removed the language that the victim was under the age of 13.
Charges of rape and gross sexual imposition were dismissed.
By entering an Alford plea, Koperski asserted his innocence, but admitted that the evidence presented would likely persuade a judge or jury to find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The reason he entered the plea was because the consequences of the trial were too great, Kuhlman confirmed.
If he lost at trial, it would have been a life sentence, said defense attorney Kent Sobran.
“This has been the roughest multiple years of my life,” Koperski said.
He said because of drugs and alcohol, he has lost his wife, his house and his kids.
“This right here is something I didn’t expect,” Koperski said about the most recent charges.
Sobran said a victim impact statement was sent out but not returned.
He asked Kuhlman to follow the state’s recommendation for a concurrent sentence.
Koperski is serving a 48-month prison sentence in Grafton after being sentenced in January 2022 for aggravated vehicular homicide, possession of a fentanyl-related compound and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug or a combination of them.
On May 30, 2020, Koperski, who lived in Clay Center at the time, was driving a 2005 Ford Explorer SUV southbound on Interstate 280 when he traveled off the left side of the roadway, over corrected, overturned and came to final rest on the left side of the roadway.
His wife, Jessica Koperski, was a passenger in the vehicle and was ejected during the crash, which occurred on I-280 near Moline Martin Road.
Both Koperskis were transported to Mercy Health-St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo with serious life-threatening injuries. Jessica Koperski died three days later.
Alcohol impairment was a factor in the crash.
His release date on that charge is in August 2025.
Kuhlman imposed a sentence of 60 months for the sexual battery charge, the run concurrent with his current prison time.
The new sentence will add three years to Koperski’s prison term.
Koperski also must register as a Tier III sexual offender, which will require him to register every 90 days for life.
