A Valparaiso woman has been charged in connection with a Memorial Day crash that left a North Judson man dead. Witnesses told police that a westbound SUV driven by Brandi Nicole Pilarczyk, 34, failed to stop at the intersection of Starke County Road 50 South and State Road 39 the night of May 31 and hit a car driven by Dennis Clemons, 68, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The impact reportedly sent both vehicles into a cornfield. Clemons was pronounced dead at the scene, while Pilarczyk was taken to South Bend Memorial Hospital. A sheriff’s deputy says he noticed Pilarczyk “stumbling around” outside of her SUV when he arrived, and she reportedly told police that she’d had three or four beers. Deputies say she refused to submit to a chemical test, noting that she’d had a DUI in 2017.
Police say several empty Miller Lite cans were found in the back seat of the SUV, along with a 12 pack on the front passenger floorboard and a bottle of TGI Friday’s Long Island Mix next to the vehicle.
Pilarczyk has been charged with felony counts of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and causing death when operating a vehicle while intoxicated, along with a misdemeanor count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person.
Suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
