A 19-year-old man from DeMotte has been charged in a fatal wreck in June in which a boy, 15, was killed, when the driver was allegedly going a high rate of speed and struck a tree in Porter Township.
Brandon Griffin was charged Dec. 22 with a felony count of reckless homicide and a misdemeanor charge of criminal recklessness, according to online court records. He was released from Porter County Jail on $2,500 bond.
Christian Villarreal, of Boone Grove, died in the wreck, which occurred at 10:20 p.m. June 17 on East 129th Avenue near County Line Road outside of Hebron.
Griffin, who was driving, and a 15-year-old girl from Crown Point who was a front-seat passenger in the car, were injured as well, according to a report.
Griffin was behind the wheel of a 2013 Hyundai Sonata and told police he was northbound approaching County Road 350 South at around 80 mph at the time of the crash, the report stated.
He told police he doesn’t remember crashing and is not familiar with the area.
The girl told police Griffin was traveling about 100 mph when she told him he was about to miss his turn. She believed he crashed into a field.
Police said evidence on the scene indicated Griffin was traveling at a high rate of speed when he ran off the roadway to the east for about 400 feet, traveling through a farm field before striking multiple trees on the northeast side of the field before coming to a rest.
The Lakes of the Four Seasons Fire Department, the Boone Grove Fire Department and the Union Township Fire Department assisted at the scene.
Griffin is scheduled for an initial appearance at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 6 before Magistrate Ana Oson.
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