$1M Bond For Accused Drunk Driver; Deputy Prosecutor Says Not First Fatal Crash

Monday, January 30, 2017 at 6:27 AM

By Mike Perleberg Rocky McMurray. Photo by Dearborn County Sheriff's Department. (Dearborn County, Ind.) - The driver in a fatal drunk driving crash in Dearborn County had previously killed another man in a wreck 12 years ago. Rocky McMurray was involved in a head-on crash on Sparta Pike which killed Steven Ahaus, of Moores Hill, on January 24. His blood-alchol content was more than double the legal driving limit. McMurray, 47, of Aurora, was released from the hospital and booked into the Dearborn County Jail on Friday, the same day the Dearborn-Ohio County Prosecutor's Office announced new charges including OWI Resulting in Death and Reckless Homicide. McMurray made his initial appearance in Dearborn Superior Court II on Monday. Deputy prosecutor Andrew Krumwied told Judge Sally Blankenship that McMurray has a 2005 conviction for manslaughter in Kentucky in relation to another wreck he caused which claimed another man's life. "This is the second time he is alleged to have killed a man in a drunk driving accident," Krumwied said. Krumwied also recapped McMurray's previous OWI convictions in Indiana. Blankenship set McMurray's bond at $1 million surety and $250,000 cash. The judge cited his criminal history, potential flight risk, and community safety in placing the high bond amount. His driving privileges were also revoked. McMurray could face up to 12 years in prison if he's convicted of the OWI and Reckless Homicide charges. Krumwied told the court that the state does plan to add a habitual offender enhancement, which could lengthen his time behind bars. RELATED STORIES: Driver In Fatal Dearborn Co. Crash Charged With Two Felonies Driver In Fatal Crash Had Four Previous OWI Convictions