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One month after a hit and run south of Murray resulted in the death of 16-year-old Elmer Borntrager, the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office has made an arrest in the case.
In a press release Dec. 12, the sheriff’s office announced 41-year-old Jacob R. Wright of Grand River was arrested at his residence on Iowa State Patrol warrants for the charges of involuntary manslaughter, a Class D felony; knowingly leaving the scene of an accident, resulting in death or serious injury, a Class C felony; driving while license denied, revoked or canceled, a simple misdemeanor and failure to provide insurance in an accident, a simple misdemeanor.
On Nov. 12, emergency crews responded to a report of a person, later identified as Borntrager, who appeared to have been struck by a vehicle in the 2200 block of R-15/130th Avenue, just south of Murray.
Borntrager was driving a horse-drawn buggy northbound on R-15 near Forest Street when the rear of the buggy was struck by a vehicle, causing him to be ejected from the buggy. Borntrager was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the vehicle did not stop after the collision.
According to Clarke County and Iowa State Patrol reports, parts of the vehicle, including a right front fender that was silver in color with a black pin stripe, were left at the scene. The vehicle was later identified as a 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier.
The following morning, Clarke County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a vehicle with heavy front-end damage parked at 210th Street and Warbler Avenue in Union County, approximately 5 miles west of where the collision occurred. Deputies responded and advised the right front fender of the car was missing.
The registered owner of the Cavalier was contacted and told deputies they had recently sold the vehicle to Wright. Law enforcement attempted but was unable to locate Wright. On Nov. 13, an individual reported he had given Wright a ride home the night of the collision and that Wright had been the driver in the fatal crash.
Deputies learned Wright had gone to a residence in Murray after the accident with the heavily damaged Cavalier prior to the car being abandoned in Union County. The owner of the residence said Wright said he hit an Amish buggy and that they helped him change a tire on the car and remove the license plates from the Cavalier before giving Wright a ride home. When they learned the collision had resulted in a fatality they contacted the sheriff’s office.
A statement from a second person at the residence said Wright drove the Cavalier there looking for a tire. While Wright was at the Murray residence, another person arrived looking for car parts. Wright gave the individual the Cavalier to junk. That person then parked the Cavalier on 210th Street.
Wright is being held in the Clarke County Jail on a $25,000 cash-only bond for the felony charges and $300 cash or surety bond on the misdemeanor charge. A preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 23 at the Clarke County Courthouse.
This investigation is active and on-going according to the sheriff’s office and anyone with any information should call the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office at 641-342-2714.
The Clarke County Sheriff’s Department reminds the public that criminal charges are an accusation, and Wright is presumed innocent until proved guilty in a court of law.