A St. Louis man was arrested Tuesday morning in connection with a July 4 accident that took the life of a Cromwell teenager.
Christopher D. Bardasian, 27, St. Louis, Mo., turned himself in to the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department after a reckless homicide warrant was issued for him.Bardasian was booked into Kosciusko County Jail on $100,000 bond. According to police, Bardasian already posted bond.
The reckless homicide warrant is a result of an accident that took place July 4 on East Wawasee Drive, north of CR 1250N, near Cromwell at around 5 p.m.
According to police, when officers arrived they found a 2000 Ford Ranger in a field engulfed in flames.
The driver of the vehicle, Jessica Ruiz, 19, Cromwell was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to police, Ruiz's vehicle was southbound on East Wawasee Drive, while a BMW driven by Bardasian was northbound. At the time of the accident, police stated, "It appears from evidence at the scene that the northbound BMW had traveled left of center at the time of the collision."
Bardasian suffered extensive injuries and was airlifted to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne. A passenger in Bardasian's vehicle, Richard Weigandt, 65, Minster, Ohio, suffered injuries and also was transported to Parkview.
At the scene, Bardasian refused chemical testing, but due to the nature of the accident, blood was drawn at the hospital.
Police stated this morning that toxicology results were still unavailable.
