MARION COUNTY — A 2015 New Palestine High School graduate was one of two people killed late Monday in a collision in Indianapolis caused by a suspected drunken driver.
The victims were identified as Delaney Frye, 23, New Palestine; and her boyfriend, Nicolas Hatfield, 23, Evansville.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department arrested Dataniel Shamar Gilbert, 26, Indianapolis. The crash happened near the intersection of 38th Street and Keystone Avenue at about 11:40 p.m. That’s when a pickup truck heading eastbound on 38th Street ran a stop light and T-boned the vehicle carrying Frye and Hatfield, reports show.
Frye and Hatfield were on their way home after visiting with relatives in New Palestine earlier in the evening, friends of the family said.
At New Palestine High School, Frye was a well-liked and popular student who played soccer and loved to travel. She went to college at Indiana University, where she was a recent graduate, friends of the family said.
Keith Fessler, principal at New Palestine, said he and other educators at the school were crushed upon hearing the news about their former student.
“It’s just so tragic because she was such a nice girl,” Fessler said. “She was always smiling, and I can honestly say I never saw her in a bad mood. Even when she’d come in and want to talk about something, she was always smiling.”
Gilbert was booked into the Marion County Jail Tuesday, where he is facing two Level 4 felony charges of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing death, and two Level 5 felony charges of leaving the scene of an accident causing death, according to police records. The charges against Gilbert could carry up to 36 years in prison.
Both Frye and Hatfield were pronounced dead at the scene, and a third person, who was not identified, was injured by debris, the report said.
Gilbert initially ran from the scene of the crash, reports said, but he was stopped about a block away and taken into custody. He suffered minor injuries.
Gilbert was set for an initial hearing in court Wednesday morning, online jail reports said.
Investigators with IMPD are hoping surveillance video from the area can help them determine exactly what led up to the crash. However, speed and alcohol are believed to be factors in the crash, police said.
Gilbert has a long criminal history dating to 2011. He previously was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and was charged with driving with a suspended license as recently as May 2, court records show. Gilbert also has another charge of driving while suspended from an incident in April of this year, court records said.
