Brown County Prosecutor Theodore F. Adams filed a Level 4 felony charge against Austin Jacob Garbarek, 28, of Whiteland, on Sept. 17 in Brown Circuit Court. The charge alleges that he left the scene of an accident resulting in death or catastrophic injury after a May 31 crash injured Ashlee M. Barker, 24, of Beavercreek, Ohio, according to WBIW. If convicted, Garbarek faces up to 12 years in prison, the outlet reports.
Court timeline
Garbarek was arrested on preliminary hit-and-run charges in early June, according to WTHR. The formal felony charge was filed on Sept. 17, and WBIW reports that his initial hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Oct. 6 in Brown Circuit Court.
What investigators have reported
The crash occurred shortly after midnight on State Road 135 North. Barker was riding a scooter alongside her boyfriend, who was on a bicycle; he told police he heard a crash and then found her injured, according to the Daily Journal’s account. Barker was flown to IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. The Daily Journal reports that she suffered a traumatic brain injury, while WBIW describes her injuries as including long-term debilitating physical harm.
The Daily Journal reports that investigators used vehicle debris, camera footage, Flock license-plate reader data and cellphone records in their investigation, and traced debris to a 2013 Buick Regal. In the outlet’s account of the police interview, Garbarek said he did not remember hitting a person and said he noticed damage to the Buick the next day.
The charge is an allegation. Garbarek is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court, WBIW reports.
