AUSTINTOWN — Negotiations are continuing for a plea deal for a man accused of a fatal hit-and-run in March.

James Stehura, 50, of Wedgewood Drive, is charged with felony vehicular homicide, a third-degree felony, in the March 11 death of Linda Adams, 66, on Lancaster Drive. At a preliminary hearing Monday, Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge Anthony Donofrio agreed to continue the case through December. Rhonda Murphy, Donofrio’s secretary, said that if the prosecution and defense cannot reach an agreement by then, the case will go to trial.

Stehura’s trial was initially set for July 15, but he signed an expedited trial waiver during a preliminary hearing on June 25, and the two sides began resuming plea negotiations.

In addition to the vehicular homicide charge, he also faces third-degree felonies: reckless homicide, tampering with evidence and leaving the scene of an accident.

The police report states that Stehura hit Adams with his truck while he was walking with his partner. During their investigation, police learned that Stehura consumed at least nine drinks over a four-hour period at a local bar located just two minutes away on Lancaster Drive.

Police obtained video of Stehura at the bar and then leaving the bar and getting into his truck. They also obtained doorbell camera video of the truck that struck Adams and posted a picture of a vehicle matching both descriptions on the department’s Facebook page. That same evening, a tip on social media led them to Stehura’s house, but neither he nor the truck was there.

The next morning, an employee at Stehura’s logging business called police to say that Stehura’s truck was parked in the business’ garage and that the front end matched the damage police described in the Facebook post.

Later that day, Stehura’s lawyer called the police and said he wanted to talk to them and let them seize the truck for evidence.

Stehura was arrested on April 3 and indicted by a Mahoning County grand jury on April 17.

He will be released on $15,000 cash or surety.