CAUGHT: Man Found & Charged in Hit-and-Run That Killed Amish 16-Year-Old (UPDATE: Wright Pleads Not Guilty; Commits Pretrial Violation By Using Drugs)

It’s been a month since Amish teenager Elmer Borntrager lost his life on a Clarke County, Iowa backroad, killed when a driver struck his buggy and fled, leaving him to die on the roadside.

A search for the vehicle operator ensued; several days later, his car was found. And now it’s been reported that the driver himself has been arrested. Here are the basic details, including charges, via WHO 13:

On Friday, the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office announced 41-year old Jacob Wright, from Grand River, Iowa, was arrested following an extensive investigation and charged with:

• Involuntary Manslaughter
• Knowingly Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Death or Serious Injury
• Driving while License Denied, Suspended or Cancelled
• Fail to Provide Insurance in an Accident

How he was caught

The story also gives us background as to how he was found, starting with the vehicle:

A criminal complaint states that on Nov. 13 the CCSO received a call from an individual saying a Chevrolet Cavalier with heavy front-end damage was parked along 210th Street in Union County, approximately five miles west of the collision site.

A CCSO deputy arrived on scene and found a Cavalier which was silver in color with a black pin stripe that was missing a front right fender and had severe front-end damage with red paint transfer, according to court records.

Authorities had found vehicle parts similar to those missing at the scene of the wreck. They then tracked the vehicle through a prior owner:

Authorities used Iowa DOT records to locate the listed owner of the vehicle, who informed deputies she had recently sold the vehicle to Wright. Efforts were then made to contact Wright without success.

The complaint states that on Nov. 13 a witness called claiming he had given Wright a ride the night of the collision and confirmed Wright was the driver of the Cavalier at the time of the crash.

The full report is worth a read. But I’ll just note that as often seems to be the case, wrongdoers can’t keep themselves from talking – or involving others in the “cleanup”. And that urge proves helpful to those looking for them:

Court records say deputies then collected a statement from a witness who said Wright had mentioned hitting an Amish Buggy and that he had helped Wright remove registration plates and change a tire on the Cavalier.

After the collision the witness says he gave Wright a ride home and that he contacted authorities after learning the collision resulted in a fatality, the complaint states.

It sounds like Wright’s behavior here may have sparked suspicion in the witness – perhaps it was the removal of the plates.  A second witness also told authorities that (as reported in the article) “Wright gave him the car and told him to junk it”.

So he’s involving more than one person in the cleanup. Lazy, dumb, or both?

Wright is currently being held at Clarke County Jail, on a $25,000 “cash only” bond. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 23.

Good work

Great job by the authorities in tracking him down. Amish society is not about vengeance, nor do the Amish generally place the same emphasis as non-Amish do on worldly justice.

That said, hopefully this news brings some comfort – or perhaps peace, for lack of a better word, to Elmer’s parents. And if Wright is in fact responsible for the death, as it appears to be the case, removing him from the road will make his community at least a bit safer.

Speaking of the local community, they have tried to help the Borntragers through a GoFundMe which you can find here.

UPDATE: Wright Pleads Not Guilty

Here’s an update on Wright’s situation as of early February via WHO 13. Wright has decided to plead not guilty to the charges against him.

If you were wondering if substances played a part in this case, well drugs have officially entered the story. Wright was released in mid-January after bond was posted, but apparently violated the terms by using drugs – and ended up going back to jail. Here’s the latest:

Court records state a reduced $17,000 surety bond was posted on January 8, and Wright was released on January 12.

A pretrial violation report filed January 20 states Wright violated the terms of his parole for allegedly using drugs. The report states Wright admitted to the incident to an officer and later signed a statement confessing to drug use.

A bench warrant for Wright’s arrest was issued on January 20 and served on January 22, according to court records. Wright was taken back to the Clarke County Jail. A $20,000 cash-only bond was issued at this time, according to online court filings.

Court records filed Wednesday state Wright entered a written plea of not guilty to the updated charges of:

• Knowingly Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Death
• Involuntary Manslaughter
• Failure to Assist Results in Death

Court records filed Thursday state a Jury Trial is scheduled for March 30 at the Clarke County Courthouse.

There is no information that Wright was able to post bond this time (this one was cash only vs. previously a surety bond), so the implication is that he remains behind bars.

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