Police make arrest during investigation of fatal 2023 crash; Kokomo man now facing OWI, reckless homicide charges

INDIANAPOLIS — A Kokomo man has been arrested for his alleged role in a fatal 2023 crash.

According to an affidavit for probable cause filed on Friday, Travis Witt has been preliminarily charged with OWI causing death and reckless homicide.

The affidavit indicates the crash Witt was involved in unfolded near the intersection of US Highway 31 and State Road 218 East in Miami County on Oct. 23, 2023. The red 2014 Chevrolet Malibu Witt was driving allegedly struck a red 2014 Chevrolet Sonic on its driver’s side sometime before 4:48 p.m.

The driver of the Sonic was trapped in the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. Witt was flown to Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne after the crash because he sustained numerous injuries to his back, ribs, collarbone and hip.

Per court documents, police later obtained information from the Malibu’s Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) system. The data showed that Witt was going 99 mph five seconds before impact. When Witt struck the Sonic, his car was allegedly going 96 mph.

During a later interview with police, Witt said he was driving from Russiaville to Peru to visit a relative before the crash. Witt also told police he thought his speed was 65 mph, which he claimed was only a little bit faster than the speed of traffic.

According to police records, Witt claimed he didn’t see the Sonic until it was directly in front of him. He said he took his foot of the gas but could not hit the brake and take evasive action quickly enough to avoid a crash.

Witt submitted to a blood draw on the day of the crash, as is standard procedure for serious crashes. The testing showed that he had Delta-9 Carboxy THC and Delta 9 THC in his blood at the time of the crash, per court records.

No alcohol was detected during the testing, according to police documents. Indiana’s court reporting system indicates that Witt is due in court on May 14 at 4 p.m.

OWI causing death and reckless homicide are Level 4 and 5 Felonies, respectively, in Indiana. The maximum penalty for a Level 4 Felony in Indiana is a 12-year prison sentence and a fine of up to $10,000.

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