Felony charges filed against Hamlet man in connection with fatal vehicle accident

WINAMAC - Felony charges against a Hamlet man have been filed in Pulaski Circuit Court in connection with a fatal vehicle accident last September in rural Pulaski County.

Chief deputy prosecuting attorney Crystal Brucker Kocher annoucned Friday that charges were filed against Cory W. Clemmons, 23, Hamlet, for causing death while operating a motor vehicle.

Clemmons faces five felony counts in connection with the incident.

Investigators say he was the driver of a vehicle that left the roadway Sept. 25 last year, resulting in a single vehicle crash in the area of SR 39 and CR 100 S in Pulaski County. Brucker-Kocher said that according to a probable cause affidavit, Clemmons escaped from the vehicle after the crash, but his passenger, Joseph N. Becker, 23, was pronounced dead as a result of injuries he suffered in the crash.

After a review of the investigative reports, the prosecutor's office filed the following charges against Clemmons in Pulaski Circuit  Court on Thursday (Feb. 16):

  • Count 1: Causing death while operating a motor vehicle with an alcohol level of more than .15, a Level 4 felony.
  • Count 2: Involuntary manslaughter, a level 5 felony.
  • Count 3: Reckless homicide, a level 5 felony.
  • Count 4: Causing death while operating a motor vehicle with an alcohol level of more than .08, a Level 5 felony.

Brucker-Kocher advised the invesigation was conducted by the Pulaski County Sheriff's office and the Pulaski County Coroner's office with the assistance of the Indiana State Police who completed a reconstruction of the motor vehicle crash site.

The investigation continues.