Man Who Fled Deadly Amish Buggy Crash Pleads Guilty — Manslaughter Charge Dropped
Last November, 16-year-old Elmer Borntrager lost his life when he was hit by a car while driving a buggy in his Clarke County, Iowa community. Elmer was left behind on the road by the driver, who fled the scene.
Authorities later located the man they believed was behind the wheel – 41-year-old Jacob Wright, who was charged with multiple offenses, including Involuntary Manslaughter.
Wright pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, and exited confinement on bond back in January. However, he was soon returned to jail after it was discovered he used drugs while out.
Meanwhile, Elmer Borntrager’s parents have been left to grieve, with both the Amish community and non-Amish neighbors providing support.
Changing Plea to Guilty
Now there’s a follow-up, in which we learn Wright has changed his plea. But the report from WHO 13 leaves behind one question, noting that Wright “has changed his plea to guilty on two charges”. Wright had originally faced the following charges:
- Knowingly Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Death
- Involuntary Manslaughter
- Failure to Assist Results in Death
The story reports that he has changed his plea to guilty only on two of the three charges:
On March 12, the date of Wright’s pretrial hearing, he appeared in court and changed his plea to guilty. Court records state he pleaded to Knowingly Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Death/Serious Injury and Failure to Assist.
Records state the court accepted the plea with a document stating, “The Court finds it was knowingly, voluntarily, and intelligently made, and that there is a factual basis for the plea.”
There is nothing in there about the Involuntary Manslaughter charge, which is presumably the most serious of the three, carrying the most serious potential penalty.
So I initially wasn’t sure what’s going on with that charge, based on this report. Was it dropped in exchange for the guilty pleas on the two lesser charges? It’s not noted.
But looking at another source, it turns out that is the case. The Involuntary Manslaughter charge was dropped in this deal. As I understand this sort of thing is not uncommon. It can understandably be upsetting for some victims’ families when that happens.
I won’t presume to guess what the Borntragers think about that. Generally speaking, the Amish are known for their approach to forgiveness when wronged. But I wouldn’t hold it against them as humans if they are not ready to go there.
Wright is described as remaining at Clarke County jail, “pending sentencing”, which is scheduled for March 26.
