MILFORD – Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Dept. deputies arrested the woman who helped the driver flee the scene of an accident Saturday morning. Charges are pending for Scott L. Wilkins, 36, Milford, as he remains in the hospital for fleeing the scene of the accident in which Kami L. Ellis, 27, Nappanee, was killed. Vicki Lynn Simmons, 61, Milford, was arrested for assisting Wilkins, according to a press release from the KCSD. Officers and emergency personnel responded to a single vehicle crash west of Milford, along CR 1350N near CR 300W, at approximately 12:09 a.m. Saturday. Deputies and emergency personnel arrived on scene to find a disintegrated 2007 Nissan, 350 Z, engulfed in flames, in a field. The Milford Fire Department subsequently located a charred body inside the passenger seat of the vehicle. Parkview Samaritan helicopter was summoned to the scene to search the area for the potential driver, to no avail. Ellis, a passenger in the vehicle, was positively identified at the Northeast Indiana Forensic Center, Fort Wayne, on Sunday during an autopsy, according to Kosciusko County Coroner Michael Wilson. Ellis was determined to have died from blunt force trauma as a result of the vehicular crash. During the progress of the investigation, it was determined that the driver had fled the area and had been retrieved in Milford by another individual. At approximately 5:48 a.m. Saturday, Warsaw police located Wilkins and Simmons at the Warsaw Holiday Inn Express hotel. Wilkins requested medical attention from the original fatal crash, and was transported to Kosciusko Community Hospital. He was later transferred to Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne, as a result of his multiple injuries. KCSD Public Information Officer Sgt. Chad Hill said at this time that the connection between Wilkins and Simmons is unknown. Kosciusko County Fatal Alcohol Crash Team investigators and the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office stated that charges against Wilkins are currently pending. Simmons was subsequently arrested at the hotel Saturday morning and transported to the Kosciusko County Jail. She was preliminarily charged with felony aiding/causing/inducing. Simmons’ was bond was set at $2,000. Investigators preliminarily determined that the fatality vehicle had been eastbound on CR 1350N at high rate of speed. Wilkins advised officers that a deer had entered onto the roadway, and he had attempted to swerve to avoid colliding with it. The Nissan began to slide sideway, crossing the roadway, striking a tree and sign, before traveling into the field and catching on fire.
