Woman to serve 1 year in jail after April 2019 fatal crash
Jun. 15—PERU — A Logansport woman who police say was intoxicated when she was involved in a head-on crash that ended up killing a Kokomo woman will now serve one year in jail after being sentenced Monday in Miami County.
Jennifer Eastwood pleaded guilty earlier this year to operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person and driving with a suspended license with a prior conviction, both misdemeanors, for her role in the April 2019 incident.
Her two charges each carry a sentence of one year in the Indiana Department of Correction, but court officials note that they will run concurrently.
A third charge — operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .15 or more — was dismissed per terms of the plea agreement.
Eastwood was arrested in July 2019, over two months after her 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee was struck by a 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix driven by Jordan Asher, 21, along U.S. 35 on the county's north side.
According to a preliminary crash investigation, police believe that Asher's vehicle crossed the center line for an unknown reason, causing a head-on crash with Eastwood's vehicle.
Asher — daughter of Howard County Sheriff Jerry Asher — was pronounced dead at the scene, and Eastwood was extricated from her vehicle before being flown to an Indianapolis hospital.
A toxicology report later showed that Eastwood had a BAC of .196 on the night of the crash, over twice the state's legal limit, and Eastwood admitted to an EMT at the scene that she had consumed alcohol prior to the incident.
When asked how much, Eastwood replied, "Enough," a probable cause affidavit stated at the time.
Along with her BAC the night of the crash, records from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles also noted that Eastwood's driving status had been suspended indefinitely, indicating that there was no history of Eastwood even having a driver's license at all.
Eastwood will serve her sentence at the Cass County Jail.
Kim Dunlap can be reached at 765-860-3256 or at kim.dunlap@kokomotribune.com.
