HOLTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — The couple killed in a Muskegon County crash involving a suspected drunken driver were just months away from their wedding.
“We take comfort in knowing that even death could not separate them as they were bonded together by an unbreakable love,” states the online obituary for 37-year-old Melissa Nash and Justin Ducham, who died on the eve of his 40th birthday.
Nash and Ducham were on Maple Island Road just south of Crystal Lake Road in Holton Township when a pickup truck slammed into their vehicle around 1 a.m. Saturday. Crews from Newaygo and Muskegon counties responded to the crash, but couldn’t save the couple.
Muskegon County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Timothy Maat identified the pickup truck driver Tuesday as Cody Loomis, who turned 25 years old three days before the crash. County jail records show he was arrested Monday.
Maat says at the time of the crash, Loomis’ blood-alcohol level was above the legal limit. Maat says Loomis will be charged with two counts of drunken driving causing death and two counts of driving with a suspended license causing death.
State records show Loomis was convicted in 2014 on an impaired driving charge. Three years later, he was convicted of operating a vehicle while under the influence of liquor.
Loomis remains in the Muskegon County jail awaiting arraignment on the new charges, which each carry a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison.
A joint funeral service for Nash and Ducham will take place at 11 a.m. Thursday at Port City Church in Fruitport Township. In lieu of flowers, their families are asking for memorial contributions to support the couple’s two children or Mothers Against Drunk Driving.