The driver of a car carrier involved in the accident that killed Terry Frye of Lafayette, an Indiana National Guard soldier, is being detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, according to the Boone County Sheriff’s Department.
Goderdzi Gujabidze, 56, of Brooklyn, New York, was driving the white car-carrier truck involved in the three-car accident about 12:15 p.m. Friday on Interstate 65 just north of the Interstate 865 exit.
He was treated at the scene and submitted to a blood draw to test for impairment, which is standard policy, according to the sheriff’s department. Crash investigators interviewed Gujabidze at the sheriff’s department because he needed a translator to communicate.
Boone County sheriff’s Sgt. Tyler Moriarty said Tuesday that Gujabidze is in ICE custody.
Gujabidze is a native of Georgia, the country in the Caucasus region, according to ICE records.
Boone County Sheriff’s Department officials were notified by ICE that they put a hold on Gujabidze’s release.
He was released to ICE custody on Sunday and is housed at the Clay County Justice Center in Brazil, Indiana, according to ICE records.
Indiana Sen. Jim Banks wrote on X on Monday, “Indiana National Guardsman Terry Frye should still be alive. His life was cut short on I-65 by an illegal who never should’ve been here in the first place.
“I fully support President Trump’s mission to deport everyone here illegally so we can prevent tragedies like this from ever happening again.”
The Journal & Courier emailed ICE media contacts and telephoned the Clay County ICE detention facility in Brazil asking why Gujabidze is being held. No one has responded yet.
WTHR-TV reported Tuesday morning that Frye’s family took exception to Banks’ post on X and accused him of using the tragedy as a “political prop.”
“We appreciate your condolences,” WTHR reported Frye’s family said in a statement. “We do not appreciate his tragedy being weaponized. Please let our family grieve without being pulled into politics.”
U.S. Rep. Jim Baird published a statement Tuesday.
“I was saddened to hear that Spc. Terry Frye passed away,” Baird wrote. “I want to extend my deepest condolences to his family and friends, and I am praying for their comfort during this unimaginably difficult time.
“Our country is grateful for Terry’s service. Our Guardsmen serve our country honorably, and this loss is an immense tragedy. I also pray for the swift and full recovery of the other three Indiana National Guardsmen injured in the accident, and I thank the first responders involved for their swift response on the scene.”
The accident, which remains under investigation, involved a Army Humvee carrying three soldiers, a white Subaru driven by Veronica Webster, 51, of Independence, Kentucky, and the car carrier driven by Gujabidze, according to the sheriff’s department.
Webster was treated at the scene for minor injuries, according to the sheriff’s department.
Frye died at the scene, but the other three soldiers — Izaya Phillips, 21, of Ingalls, Nicholas Reinhart, 27, of Washington, and Luke Richardson, 23, of Carmel — were treated at a Boone County hospital. Phillips was the driver of the Humvee, according to sheriff’s department.
The four soldiers were part of a convoy of National Guard vehicles en route from the Frankfort Armory to Camp Atterbury for a weekend of training, the Guard said Monday.
Frye graduated from Frankfort High School and had been a soldier since March 2020.
Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: ICE detains driver in Lafayette soldier’s death after I-65 crash
Reporting by Ron Wilkins, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
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