LIGONIER — A Cromwell man has been charged with multiple felonies after a highspeed vehicle accident in Noble County which resulted in the death of a Goshen man.
Ethan Aza, 23, 3757 N. 900W, lot 188, Cromwell, is charged with resisting law enforcement resulting in death, a level 3 felony; causing death when operating a vehicle with an ACE of 0.08 or more and causing serious bodily injury when operating a vehicle with an ACE of 0.08 or more, both level 4 felonies; resisting law enforcement causing serious bodily injury, a level 5 felony; two counts of resisting law enforcement causing bodily injury, both level 6 felonies; and operating a vehicle without ever receiving a license with a prior conviction, a class A misdemeanor.
On Sept. 14, Justin Yoder, 37, Goshen, was severely injured during the accident Aza caused. Lifesaving measures were taken to resuscitate Yoder at the scene. Yoder was flown to Parkview Regional Medical Center, where he later died as a result of his injuries on Sept. 15. According to his obituary, Yoder was involved in soap box derby racing. His story was later captured in the Disney Channel movie "Miracle in Lane 2."
Actor Frankie Muniz, who played Yoder in the movie, made a social media post about Yoder's passing, stating he "was lucky to get to play him and bring his story to life. He was such a strong person that didn't let his disability slow him down in his dream to race Soap Box Derby cars."
According to court documents, on Sept. 14, an Indiana State Police trooper attempted to pull a vehicle over for speeding. The trooper saw the vehicle traveling east on U.S. 6, near the Elkhart and Noble County line, at a high rate of speed.
A vehicle pursuit began, with the suspect vehicle's driver, later identified as Aza, disregarding the trooper. As the pursuit progressed, Aza continued speeding and disregarding multiple stop signs. While traveling south on Ind. 5, he nearly hit the front of a Ligonier Police officer's vehicle.
Shortly after Aza nearly hit the Ligonier officer's vehicle, the trooper terminated the pursuit. Aza continued speeding and, while crossing the Ind. 5 and U.S. 6 intersection, his Mercedes Benz hit the rear of a white Nissan Rogue. This caused the Nissan to leave the roadway, enter a ditch, and hit a culvert.
The Nissan's driver, Stephanie Yoder, was injured and taken to Parkview Regional Medical Center. She sustained several injuries, including 10 fractured ribs, a broken nose, fractured arm and lacerated spleen. Justin Yoder was a front seat passenger in the Nissan at the time of the accident.
After hitting the Nissan, Aza's vehicle entered the northbound lane of U.S. 33, where he hit a black Acura passenger car driven by Jose Gomez.
Gomez and a child in his vehicle were not seriously injured, but were taken to Parkview Noble Hospital for evaluation.
Upon approaching the Mercedes, officers smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle. Officers spoke with Aza at Parkview Regional Medical Center, where he was being treated for his injuries.
Preliminary results from a certified test showed Aza's BAC was 0.19%.
Aza does not and has never had a valid license in Indiana or any other state. He has two prior convictions for operating a vehicle without ever receiving a valid license. He also has a prior conviction for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. At the time of this incident, Aza was under a suspended sentence for the OWI conviction.
In an interview on Sept. 17, Aza told officers he was drinking tequila and smoking marijuana at a friend's house in Warsaw during the early morning hours of Sept. 14. When he saw a police officer attempt to pull him over, Aza said he "got scared" and that he knew if he was stopped, he would go to jail.