A 9-year-old Monroe City boy has died after a head-on crash on State Road 57 in rural Daviess County, Indiana, and the driver accused of causing the wreck is now sitting in jail without bond. Keith Walton was airlifted to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis following the collision Sunday afternoon but did not survive his injuries.
The crash happened around 2:45 p.m. near County Road 700 South when a 2022 Chevrolet traveling northbound lost control, crossed the center line, and struck a southbound 2017 Dodge minivan head-on, according to the Daviess County Sheriff's Office, as reported by WTHR. The minivan was being driven by 62-year-old Melinda Pea of Monroe City, according to Blazer 91.1 WVUB, which reported that Pea and both minivan passengers were taken to a hospital for treatment after the impact.
While WTHR withheld the suspect's name under its editorial policy against naming suspects before formal prosecutor filings, two local outlets identified him. WBIW reported the Chevrolet's driver was 25-year-old Jacob Sisco of Washington, Indiana, who was arrested following chemical testing and booked into the Daviess County Security Center, where he is being held without bond.
Driver Showed Signs of Impairment at the Scene
The sheriff's office said Sisco was uninjured in the crash but showed signs of impairment, and he underwent chemical testing afterward, per WTHR's reporting. The same WVUB report notes that after displaying those signs of impairment at the scene, Sisco was taken to Daviess Community Hospital for chemical testing before being processed into jail — a detail that adds procedural context to how the investigation unfolded in the hours after the crash.
Sisco faces preliminary charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury and operating a vehicle while intoxicated resulting in death, according to the sheriff's office. Those are law enforcement's initial charges; formal charges are ultimately filed by the prosecutor's office, and the case remains under investigation, the sheriff's office said.
What Indiana Law Says About the Charges Sisco Faces
Under Indiana Code § 9-30-5-5, operating a vehicle while intoxicated resulting in death is a Level 4 felony, carrying a statutory penalty of 2 to 12 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, according to Justia Law. The advisory sentence for a Level 4 felony in Indiana is six years, per the same statute.
The secondary preliminary charge — operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury — is classified as a Level 5 felony under Indiana Code § 9-30-5-4, carrying a potential sentence of 1 to 6 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000, with an advisory sentence of three years, Justia Law notes.
A Troubling Pattern on State Road 57
This marks at least the third fatal crash on State Road 57 in Daviess County this year. On September 28, a 60-year-old driver was killed in a head-on crash on the highway after her SUV crossed left of center into a fuel truck near Bethany Christian Church, according to WZDM. And in May, a 50-year-old woman died after her SUV drifted off State Road 57 near County Road 575 South, struck a guardrail, and landed in a deep ditch, as reported by The Loogootee Times.
State highways account for 33% of fatal traffic crashes, while U.S. highways account for 22%. Statewide, nearly 23% of Indiana's roadway fatalities in federal fiscal year 2025 involved alcohol impairment, per preliminary data from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.
Daviess County sits about 110 miles southwest of Indianapolis. Sisco lives in Washington.
