WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
The case of an Indiana man involved in a June crash that killed two LaGrange County women in White Pigeon Township is moving on to St. Joseph County Circuit Court.
Harley Jay Bontrager, 19, appeared Tuesday with his attorney, Jessica LaFond, before District Court Judge Jeff Middleton. As a result of Bontrager waiving the preliminary examination, the matter will now be fielded by Judge Paul Stutesman.
It is alleged that on June 30, Bontrager was behind the wheel of an Escalade heading west on Indian Prairie Road when it attempted to pass a Chevy Cobalt while in a no-passing zone. Authorities said Bontrager possibly misjudged his clearance from the car and his vehicle struck the Cobalt, sending it off the roadway.
Shipshewana residents Rosalie M. Yoder, 29, and Marcia Ann Miller, 27, were passengers in the Cobalt and died at the scene after the vehicle crashed into a tree.
Middleton said the next step will be a status conference set before Stutesman.
Bontrager, who is free on $40,000 cash/surety bond, is charged with two counts of operating while intoxicated causing death. He faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
