Morgan County Clerk passes away after sustaining injuries in one-vehicle crash
Lance GideonMORGAN COUNTY — The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office confirmed late Saturday evening that Morgan County Clerk Stephanie Elliott had died as a result of injuries sustained from a crash earlier that evening.
According to reports, the wreck occurred on State Road 67 west of Martinsville and south of the State Road 39/Pumpkinvine Hill Road intersection, near where the highway is reduced from four lanes to two.
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Responders were called to the scene around 7:15 p.m. Saturday.
"For reasons unknown the pickup crossed the northbound lane, traveled down an embankment striking several trees and coming to rest on the driver’s side," the Morgan County Sheriff's Office noted in a Saturday press release.
Two medical helicopters were called to the scene.
Elliott, 52, was serving as Morgan County Clerk and had recently won the Republican nomination for Morgan County Auditor for the upcoming November General Election.
She served as Morgan County Clerk for nearly 10 years, taking office in November 2012 after being selected to finish the term of Peggy Mayfield, who had resigned after winning a seat in the Indiana House of Representatives.
Elliott was then elected to a a full term in November 2014 and re-elected in November 2018.
Her husband, John, was also in the vehicle and was airlifted to Ascension St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis in critical condition.
In a statement sent Monday, Mayfield said Elliott was a "dedicated public servant."
"I am heartbroken over the news of Stephanie’s death," Mayfield wrote. "I hired Stephanie as a bookkeeper in the Clerk’s office and in a few short years appointed her as my Chief Deputy. With her knowledge and abilities, I was excited for her when she was selected as my successor. She was more than an employee, she became a friend."
In statement sent Sunday morning, Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, said he's known both Elliott and her husband since high school.
"Stephanie has been taken from us at the pinnacle of her public service to Morgan County," Bray said Sunday morning. "As county clerk, she served the courts and ran our elections with skill and unimpeachable integrity. Most recently, she sought the support of Morgan County to serve as our county auditor. She will be extremely difficult to replace, and she will be deeply missed by her friends, coworkers and loved ones. May she rest in peace knowing hers was a life well lived."
Martinsville Mayor Kenny Costin also posted a message on his public Facebook page from his wife and him.
"Debbie and I send our deepest condolences and most steadfast prayers to the Elliott Family," Costin posted late Saturday night.
Mooresville Town Councilman Shane Williams also offered condolences on his public Facebook page.
"Mooresville mourns the tragic loss of Stephanie Martin Elliott," Williams wrote. "We join all of Morgan County in celebrating her service as County Clerk and praying for her husband who was injured. Peace and comfort to her family and friends."
The Morgan County Republican Party will now be tasked with not only finding a candidate to finish Elliott's current term as county clerk, but also someone to nominate for the Morgan County Auditor's office in November's General Election.
The term for county clerk will end on Dec. 31 while the next term for Morgan County Auditor will begin on Jan. 1, 2023.
As county clerk, Elliott served on the Morgan County Election Board. She was also a member of the Morgan County Fair Board.
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The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, Martinsville Police Department, Martinsville Fire Department, Morgan County EMS, Gregg Township Fire Department, Morgan County Coroner's Office and Morgan County Public Safety Dispatch assisted in the response.
As of Sunday afternoon, the investigation into the cause of the crash was ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call Morgan County Sheriff's Deputy Caleb Merriman at 765-342-5544.
Contact Reporter-Times, Times-Mail and Spencer Evening World editor Lance Gideon at lgideon@reporter-times.com or 765-342-1543. Follow him on Twitter: @LanceOGideon.