Morgan Coley, an 18-year-old teenager from Macomb, Michigan, has been arrested and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing death after she hit and killed an 81-year-old man.
According to the Clinton Township Police Department, Coley was driving her vehicle under the influence of alcohol while heading north on Utica Road in Clinton Township, Michigan, on Thursday, February 21.
Police say that Coley crossed into the southbound lane and struck a vehicle being driven by 81-year-old Grosse Pointe native Hans Gerhard Schwallbach, hitting him head-on.
Following the crash, Coley was arrested, while Scwallbach was taken to nearby Henry Ford Hospital, where he later was pronounced dead.
If convicted, Coley faces a maximum of 15 years in prison for the felony offense, according to Michigan state law.
At this time, there are conflicting reports about Coley’s age. While WXYZ Detroit reports that Coley is 19-years-old, the Detroit Free Press and other outlets have reported that she’s 18-years-old.
Speaking to WXYZ Detroit, Helga Schwallbach — Hans’ wife of 46 years — said that she hopes Coley “understands she has devastated this family.”
“You don’t expect this. He just left. He just walked out the door and he’s not coming back. That’s the hard part,” Helga said.
Coley was released on bond on Friday, February 22.
Scwallbach is survived by his wife, his two sons, and his grandkids.
That is all the information that is available at this time. This article will be updated with new and relevant information should it become available at any time. If there is anything that we missed, please feel free to send an email to editor@teamcoed.com and we will respond as soon as we can and update this article if necessary.