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Special Prosecutor John W. Whiteleather will not press charges against Caleb Stephens, the survivor of a 1996 car accident that killed Mike Petroskey.
Kosciusko County Prosecutor David Kolbe turned the case over to Whiteleather after Kolbe decided there was insufficient evidence to charge Stephens. Petrosky's family opposed the decision, and Kolbe asked Whiteleather to reopen the investigation.
Whiteleather's findings agreed with Kolbe's orginial decision to dismiss the reckless homicide charge against Stephens as well as lesser charges that were pending.
Whiteleather's investigator Marvin Ewing, and Bob Plummer, Indiana State Police accident reconstructionist, spent more than 100 hours going over the accident and re-interviewing witnesses.
The accident occurred in April 1996 on CR 1000W, near Mentone. Petroskey was pronounced dead at the scene when Stephens' car slammed into the side of Petroskey's pickup. The impact made the pickup spin and roll for more than 150 feet.
Police said at the time of the accident that Stephens disregarded the stop sign at the intersection of CR 900S and CR 1000W. Also, Stephens' driver's license was suspended, the license plates on the vehicle he was driving were expired, and there was no insurance on the car.
