Woman charged in fatal accident

A Morgantown woman was arrested and charged with a felony about a month after her involvement in a car accident that killed a Bargersville man.

Tina Isley, 49, was charged with operating while intoxicated causing death, a Level 4 felony, for her role in an accident Jan. 11 that killed Robert T. Shirley.

A blood test showed Isley was driving with nearly twice the legal limit of alcohol in her system.

She faces up to 12 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted.

Her blood alcohol content immediately following the accident was .144%, according to court documents filed in Johnson County Circuit Court. The legal limit to drive is .08%.

Shirley was pronounced dead at the scene after Isley struck his pickup truck head on. He was heading to work in Indianapolis, according to a Johnson County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Deputies said Isley was traveling west on Division Road, near State Road 135, when she crossed the center line and struck Shirley, who was eastbound. Isley was driving a Jeep Wrangler, court documents said.

A deputy interviewed Isley at an Indianapolis hospital where she was treated for a broken ankle. At the time of the interview, her speech was slurred and she struggled to remember what happened, according to court documents.

A paramedic with the Bargersville Community Fire Department told police he smelled alcohol on Isley’s breath, and Isley told him she had been drinking. A container of beer was found in Isley’s jeep, court documents said.

Isley told an officer a friend was driving her vehicle and dropped off other friends, but she began driving once everyone had been dropped off. She said she had five beers, and her last drink was about 30 minutes before the accident, according to court documents.

Isley was arrested Tuesday and taken to the Johnson County jail, where she was released on $7,600 bond.