MUNCIE, IN — A Muncie man has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a July 2024 crash that killed a pedestrian.
Jordan Alan Zerbe, 29, on Thursday, May 7, pleaded guilty in Delaware Circuit Court 4 to causing death when driving while intoxicated, a Level 4 felony carrying up to 12 years in prison, and driving while intoxicated, a Class A misdemeanor with a maximum one-year sentence.
The charges stem from the death on July 31, 2024, of 29-year-old Lyn Meriah Cedras of New Castle.
Jeff Stanley, chief deputy of the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department, said Zerbe was driving a Dodge Ram pickup truck about 2:45 a.m. when he struck Cedras.
She was pronounced dead at the scene, along Delaware County Road 550 East near the Cardinal Greenway.
According to a news release from the sheriff’s department, Zerbe, Cedras and another woman were traveling in the area on a golf cart when it became disabled.
Zerbe went to get his truck, apparently intending to tow the golf cart. When he returned to the scene, however, he struck both Cedras and the golf cart, court documents said.
A witness told deputies she had observed Zerbe’s truck “traveling at a high rate of speed towards their direction.”
After striking the golf cart and Cedras, the truck left the road and traveled about 100 yards into a field.
According to an affidavit, deputies said Zerbe showed signs of intoxication and acknowledged he had been drinking. A breath test measured his blood alcohol content at 0.158. In Indiana, motorists with a BAC of 0.08 are considered intoxicated.
Deputies also said they found a 9mm handgun in Zerbe’s truck that had been reported stolen.
Under the terms of a plea agreement, other charges — including reckless homicide and theft — would be dismissed.
Judge John Feick took the deal under advisement and tentatively set sentencing for June 8.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Muncie man enters guilty pleas in 2024 crash that killed pedestrian
Reporting by Douglas Walker, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
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