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    • Mariah Kammerer pleads guilty to fatal I-69 crash in 2023
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    Mariah Kammerer pleads guilty to fatal I-69 crash in 2023

    Harry Posted on

    EVANSVILLE — A woman accused of reckless homicide and other charges pleaded guilty Monday after police say she drunkenly crashed into a parked car in Vanderburgh County last year, killing a passenger.

    Mariah Kammerer, 30, of Dale, Indiana, was scheduled to go to trial this week, but the hearing was canceled when Kammerer filed a motion to plead guilty days after firing her attorney, according to court records.

    A Vanderburgh County judge found realistic basis for Kammerer’s motion, which does not include a formal plea agreement with prosecutors, and scheduled a sentencing hearing for Dec. 27.

    Vanderburgh County Coroner’s office identified the victim September 4, 2023, accident At the center of the case is Christina Rogers, 54, of Winslow, Indiana. Rogers died at the scene of the crash near Mile Marker 18 of Interstate 69, according to the sheriff’s office.

    The affidavit filed in support of Kammerer’s later arrest describes what investigators believe happened.

    When deputies arrived on scene, they said they found a 2018 Toyota Corolla driven by Kammerer with front-end damage in the median of the interstate. Nearby, they found a 2002 Mercury Sable in which Rogers was a passenger. Sable’s driver was reported to have minor injuries.

    “Preliminary information from the crash investigation indicated that the Sable was parked in the northbound lane of Interstate 69 when it was rear-ended by a Corolla driven by its sole occupant, Mariah Kammerer,” the affidavit said. The statement was included.

    An eyewitness told detectives that Kammerer admitted to being “drunk from a Labor Day party” shortly after the crash, while a second witness claimed he saw Kammerer driving “recklessly.” When the witness stopped at the crash scene, he found Kammerer “emotional” and “smelled strongly of alcohol,” the affidavit said.

    Kammerer’s husband told investigators that his wife was at Marina Pointe for a “Pump Out” party that day, and that the Labor Day weekend meeting of the party coincided with the formation of sand piles in the Ohio River due to dredging by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Of engineers.

    Kammerer refused to provide a blood sample after the crash, as required by Indiana law. After a search warrant was obtained forcing Kammerer to provide a sample, tests showed his blood alcohol content was 0.227, nearly three times the legal limit. According to deputies, Kammerer’s urine tested positive for THC, the active drug in marijuana and cocaine.

    Kammerer refused to speak to detectives after his arrest and instead asked to speak to an attorney.

    Ryan Hatfield, a former Democratic state lawmaker and soon-to-be Circuit Court judge, represented Kammerer from the beginning of the case until last week, when a filing stated Kammerer “fired” him. Attorney Barry Blackard represented Kammerer when he changed his plea to guilty, according to court records.

    The Vanderburgh County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday seeking information about any deal it might make with Kammerer or how the office would respond to his guilty plea.

    Houston Harwood can be reached at [email protected].

    Harry
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