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Police Find Driver Who Fled Accident

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The man who fled the scene of a fatal car accident Saturday has been found.

Uriel Juarez, 28, of Warsaw, disappeared into a corn field after the accident on Ind. 15 and CR 300S.

Amanda Meerzo, 17, was killed in the crash, and Jill Walters, 16, was seriously injured. She is in critical but unstable condition at Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne.

According to Prosecutor David Kolbe, Juarez suffered a head injury in the crash. Juarez said he wandered into the field and got lost. A witness of the accident said Juarez appeared disoriented.

Juarez contacted the state police Sunday night and spoke with a trooper through an interpreter.

Juarez had no apparent motive for fleeing. He had a valid Texas driver's license, and there was no indication that alcohol was a factor. He also left a woman and three children at the scene. The four suffered minor injuries.

Juarez is being charged with failure to maintain insurance.

He was not found at fault for the accident. According to police reports, the car with the two girls pulled out in front of his pickup as he headed south on Ind. 15.

Kolbe and state police must decide whether they will charge Juarez with a C felony of leaving the scene of an accident causing death. To charge with the felony, prosecutors must prove Juarez had the knowledge and intent to flee the scene. They have not concluded if that was his intention.