PUBLIC SAFETY

Boy, 6, dead in I-70 crash; driver had suspended license, active arrest warrant

Michael Anthony Adams, and Justin L. Mack

Update: 

Police have identified the boy killed in the bus crash as 6-year-old Jacob Williams of Gary. The driver, Charles Goodman, remains hospitalized.

Indiana State Police detectives are still investigating the crash, trooper John Perrine said. No arrests or citations have been issued.

The bus, which was owned by the pastor of St. Jude Family Worship Center in Gary, was not properly registered with the U.S. Department of Transportation, as it was traveling out of state to Dayton, Ohio, Perrine said.

Perrine could not supply the name of the pastor who owned the bus, but the church's website lists Bishop Lois B. Hill as its leader. Hill has not returned repeated requests for comment.

The church's website says Hill was attending a church conference in Dayton, Ohio this week.

Earlier:

A 6-year-old boy was killed Tuesday afternoon when the church bus he was riding ran off I-70 in Hancock County and rolled over.

Police said the driver of the bus had a suspended license and an active arrest warrant.

An Indiana State Police spokesman said the bus was carrying members of the St. Jude Family Worship Center in Gary. The Star has left a message with the church.

Indiana State Police responded to the crash at mile marker 107 on I-70 just after 4 p.m. They found multiple passengers injured, including the 6-year-old, who was pronounced dead at the scene by the Hancock County Coroner.

Seven of the 12 passengers on the bus were injured, police said.

The driver, identified as Charles Goodman, 53, Gary, was ejected from the bus and pinned underneath it. Police said he was alert and conscious at the scene and was transported to a hospital by a medical helicopter.

State Police officials said that Goodman was driving the bus on a suspended license. He also had a warrant out for his arrest in Lake County for failing to appear in court for a traffic offense, police said.

An initial investigation has revealed that the small church bus was traveling east on I-70 when it ran off the road for unknown reasons. Police said they think the crash was a result of Goodman's error, as no evidence of mechanical failure was discovered.

All eastbound lanes of I-70 are open, with a brief detour around the crash site through a rest stop.

The westbound lanes remain open.

Reporters Bob Scheer and Madeline Buckley contributed to this report. Call Star reporter Justin L. Mack at (317) 444-6138. Follow him on Twitter:@justinlmack.