Couple Killed In Portage Drunk Driving Crash Leaves Behind 5 Kids
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A couple was on their way to have a date night when they ended up in the path of a drunk driver. The couple, killed in the Portage, Indiana accident, left behind five children.
CBS 2's Audrina Bigos reports the couple was supposed to be at the Little League fields Thursday night. The games were cancelled due to the fatal accident. The mother who was killed was going to be running the concessions. Some of the couple's kids were expected to play in the game and one was supposed to be the umpire.
The fields were empty after a family that loved baseball was broken apart. The Jackson family has pictures of them participating in the Portage Little League all over their house.
Not only did all five of their kids play, their mother, Amy Jackson, coached the three youngest in T-ball and was on the league's board.
Amy and her husband, Peter, were taking a night off Wednesday, heading out for a date night when Portage Police say a suspected drunk driver failed to yield and hit them on their motorcycle.
The incident happened around 6 p.m. near U.S. 20 and Willowcreek Road. Both Amy and Peter were killed.
"These little kids, their life is ruined for a long, long time," said Amy's father, Ed Monette.
The family says DCFS is getting involved now that both parents are gone.
"Trying to keep the family together right now, that's the most important part," Monette said.
He said they will fight to keep the kids under one roof. The youngest is four-years-old and the oldest is 18.
The suspected drunk driver is 66-year-old Cleon Stutler. Records show he was convicted of operating while intoxicated in 2010 and 2015.
Stutler's blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit. The charged driver owns an architectural company in Portage.
The league said Stutler helped work on some Little League projects in the past. The league's managers said the Jackson family played a huge role in helping the league thrive.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the Jackson family plan a memorial.