SEYMOUR, Ind. — Drivers of both vehicles involved in the August 18 crash that led to the death of a Greenfield woman were arrested on charges related to the accident. Ashlea Albertson, 24, was killed in the crash.
A car being driven by Austin Cooper, 22, an Austin, Indiana resident at the time, was northbound in the right lane of I-65 at the 48-mile marker, just south of Seymour. An SUV operated by Jacob Kelly, 31, of Indianapolis, was traveling north in the left lane of the interstate. Evidence, including video footage captured by another vehicle, indicated that the two drivers allegedly began accelerating rapidly and refused to allow the other to pass.
Cooper’s car began to change lanes into the path of Kelly’s vehicle. Kelly lost control of his SUV and spun, resulting in the two vehicles colliding in the middle of the northbound lanes. Kelly’s SUV rolled and Ashlea Albertson, his female passenger, was ejected from the vehicle. Cooper’s car left the east side of the roadway and came to rest in a field.
The post-crash investigation by the Indiana State Police determined that the vehicles were traveling at speeds in excess of 90 mph at the time of the wreck. Toxicology results were obtained on both drivers and the results indicated that Cooper had THC in his system when the collision occurred.
At the conclusion of the investigation, the case was presented to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office for review. As a result, Cooper was charged with Causing Death when Operating a Motor Vehicle with a Controlled Substance (Level 4 Felony), and Reckless Homicide (Level 5 Felony). Kelly was charged with Reckless Homicide (Level 5 Felony).
On Monday, November 27, Kelly was arrested without incident in Indianapolis. On Tuesday, November 28, Cooper, now a Morganfield, Kentucky resident, turned himself in at the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown.
