North Liberty driver faces felony charges after 4-car South Bend crash, also had warrants

SOUTH BEND — A North Liberty man accused of crashing into three vehicles Tuesday evening is now charged in St. Joseph Superior Court with four criminal counts, including resisting law enforcement and possession of drugs.

Matthew James Dean, a 33-year-old resident of North Liberty, was allegedly driving erratically with an expired license plate around 6 p.m. July 16, prosecutors claim. A South Bend police officer tried to get closer to initiate a traffic stop when the driver allegedly executed quick turns and disregarded a stop sign. In response, the officer turned on his lights, sirens and communicated on his radio his intent to pull the driver over, the deputy prosecuting attorney said.

Prosecutors described the events leading up to the crash: Dean accelerated and ran a red flashing stop light at Walnut and Colfax, which began the crash. Dean's vehicle was hit by a Ford Explorer heading west on Colfax, then he spun and hit a second vehicle, eastbound on Colfax, that flipped to the side before Dean's vehicle came to rest in the southern half of the intersection. The Explorer hit a forth vehicle.

Police claim the total path of travel — from start to end — was one mile. From the time the officer initiated the traffic stop, the following events occurred within 2,000 feet.

The officer arrived on the scene, finding Dean to be injured, but awake, alert and coherent, prosecutors allege. He exited the vehicle on his own, was detained in handcuffs and was told to sit by the vehicle while the officer checked the condition of the others involved, prosecutors claim.

According to prosecutors, a passenger in Dean's vehicle was unconscious and South Bend Fire helped her out of the vehicle. She was transported to Memorial Hospital in critical condition. Preliminary reports showed she had multiple fractures and collapsed lungs. She was listed in critical but stable condition.

Regarding the three other drivers involved, prosecutors said the driver whose vehicle was on its side had a collapsed lung, one woman had minor injures and another woman was shaken up but uninjured. She was transported to the hospital for preexisting conditions, police said.

Before Dean was transported to the hospital for a medical evaluation, officers found small bags of a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine, prosecutors allege in court filings, that further state Dean was uncooperative with investigators. Officers obtained a search warrant for Dean's blood and the toxicology report is pending.

Prosecutors determined that Dean's driver's license was suspended. He is also currently on probation for two active warrants at the time of his arrest — one in St. Joseph County for failing to appear for sentencing on a probation violation and a second in Starke County for failure to appear for an initial hearing on a misdemeanor matter.

Dean faces two counts of resisting law enforcement, level 5 felonies, possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony, and reckless driving, a Class A misdemeanor.

The judge deemed Dean a flight risk and a substantial danger to himself, others and the community.

Email Tribune staff writer Camille Sarabia at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: North Liberty driver faces felony charges after 4-car South Bend crash