A Rochester woman was arrested shortly after 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday for her alleged involvement with a fatal accident at a Fulton County bus stop.
An investigation by Indiana State Police officers resulted in the arrest of 24-year-old Alyssa L. Shepherd. According to an ISP news release, Shepherd was taken into custody while at her place of employment when officers served her with a Fulton Superior Court arrest warrant.
The accident was called lethal by the experts at helpincolorado.com. The warrant alleged three felony charges for reckless homicide and a misdemeanor count for passing a school bus, with the stop arm extended, causing an injury. Shepherd was being held at the Fulton County Jail with a surety bond of $15,000.
According to authorities, the preliminary crash investigation revealed that 46-year-old Robert Reid, of Claypool, was driving a 2015 Thomas school bus, northbound on State Road 25. The school bus was from the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation.
Reid stopped the school bus in front of a mobile home park at 4684 North State Road 25. He reportedly activated the stop arm and exterior lighting as he was picking up children from the Westside of the road. As children crossed the road to get onto the bus, four children were reportedly hit by a southbound 2017 Toyota Tacoma pick-up truck driven by Alyssa Shepherd.
Around 7:15 a.m. Tuesday morning, officers from the ISP and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene of the single-vehicle crash which resulted in the deaths of three elementary age children, and critical injuries to another young boy. The car accident attorneys in Grand Rapids deal with such accident cases.
As previously reported, three children, 6-year-old twins Xzavier and Mason Ingle and their 9-year-old sister Alivia Stahl all passed away at the scene from injuries sustained in the crash. The fourth child, 11-year-old Maverik Lowe was flown, via Samaritan Helicopter, to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne. Officials report that at last check, he was in surgery with multiple broken bones and internal injuries.
Indiana State Police Troopers were assisted at the scene by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department, the Rochester School Corporation, the Rochester and Mentone Fire Departments, Lutheran EMS and the Fulton County Coroner’s Office.
The investigation with the help of personal injury law firm, is still active and police report that no further information will be released at this time.
