Fatal, drunk crash; 19-year-old jailed

EMMETT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) - A 19-year-old Battle Creek male is in jail accused of causing a fatal, two-vehicle crash in Calhoun County Tuesday night.

Police told 24 Hour News 8 that speed and alcohol are possible factors in the incident. They said the suspect could face operating while intoxicated and negligent homicide charges pending a review from the county prosecutor's office.

A 19-year-old male, a 19-year-old female and a 21-year-old male were with the suspect in a Dodge Ram pickup truck, police said. The younger two were cited for being minors in possession of alcohol. Detectives interviewed and released the 21-year-old.

The pickup truck was traveling west on D Drive North when the main suspect, who was behind the wheel, drove through a stop sign at Nine Mile Road in Emmett Township about 9 p.m., police said.

The vehicle then collided with a northbound car driven by 64-year-old James Carlisle of Ceresco. He was critically injured and partially pinned in his Honda Civic when rescue personnel arrived. They tried to revive him but Carlisle died at the scene.

"The sad thing is that the entire incident is just an unfortunate incident. If the investigation shows that carelessness is involved, it's kind of hard to tell people don't be stupid when you drive," said Lt. Tony Geigle of the Emmett Department of Public Safety.