Ripley County crash leads to woman’s arrest
Last week on October 24, Shannon M. Hubbard, 50 of Pekin, was arrested following a crash in Ripley County that happened on June 24.
In the accident, Hubbard collided head on with a Mitsubishi Mirage that was being driven by Henry M. Finney, 21 of Madison. The crash occurred on US 421 in southern Ripley County, near Michigan Road. As a result of the collision, Finney died at an area hospital.
Hubbard was injured in the crash, but survived.
After a thorough investigation by Trooper Andrew Garrett, Indiana State Police, Versailles Crash Reconstruction Team, it was determined that Hubbard had been speeding while she was traveling southbound on US 421. She pulled out to pass another vehicle that was traveling southbound as well, when she collided head on with Finney’s vehicle that was going northbound on US 421.
Police said that Hubbard was travel ing approximately 79 miles-per-hour a few seconds prior to the crash. Toxicology tests have determined that Hubbard had THC in her system when the crash occurred. THC is a schedule I controlled substance. Finney’s toxicology results did not show any drugs or alcohol in his system when the crash occurred.
According to witnesses, Hubbard was traveling at a high rate of speed and had been making bad passes earlier on the same road. Hubbard, who works for the Division of Family Services, was in Ripley County to train workers on a new computer system. She normally works in Clark County and is responsible for 12-15 offices from Dearborn County to Harrison County. She told police she was on her way to see her granddaughter in Clarksville, but didn’t have a certain time to be there. When asked if she went above 60 mph on that entire trip, she said, “No, I don’t think so.” When told how fast she was actually traveling, she said, “I can’t believe I was going that fast.” She requested police tell the Finney family that she was sorry.
When Hubbard passed a truck hauling a car hauler, the driver of that rig told police it was a “no brainer” that she was not going to be able to make the pass.
Another witness had been passed by Hubbard in Correct, and noted that oncoming traffic had to slow down to let the Kia get back over. The witness said she thought to herself “that the driver was going to kill someone.” She was positive it was the same Kia that was wrecked just a few minutes after making bad passes.
Hubbard was driving a 2016 Kia Soul that day in June. Police say speed and improper passing resulted in the death of Finney.
As a result of the investigation, the case was submitted to the Ripley County Prosecutor’s Office for review. On October 24 a warrant was issued for Hubbard’s arrest on one count of Reckless Homicide, a Level 5 Felony. Troopers located Hubbard in Pekin following the issue of the warrant and she was incarcerated in the Washington County Jail pending extradition to Ripley County where she will have an initial hearing in the Ripley County Circuit Court.
