HARDIN COUNTY, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky State Police are investigating after two teens were killed during a police pursuit that ended in a crash in Hardin County Saturday night.
KSP Spokesperson Scotty Sharp told WDRB the two-car crash happened just after 8:30 p.m. Saturday on US-31 near Battle Training Road.
KSP said Post 4 received a call Saturday night from Hardin County Dispatch asking troopers to investigate the collision, according to a news release. Police say their initial investigation determined the Meade County Sheriff's Office, Vine Grove Police Department and Radcliff Police Department were involved in a vehicle pursuit of 36-year-old Shawn Welsh, of Marion, West Virginia, staring in Meade County and crossing through both Radcliff and Vine Grove.
During the pursuit, Welsh drove through an intersection, hitting 18-year-old Jacob Barber of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, as he was crossing the intersection of US-31 and Battle Training Road. Barber and 17-year-old Katarina Peeters, who was a passenger in his vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene.
Two other juvenile passengers in Barber's vehicle were taken to Norton Children's Hospital in Louisville with life threatening injuries, according to police. Their current conditions are unknown at this time.
"I looked at the clock, it was 5:45, and the next time I saw him was in the coroner's office," Barber's mom Sharon Combs said as she wiped away tears. "He was so funny. He was a funny kid without trying to be."
Combs said her son wanted to be a welder and was an extremely skilled archer, even going to the world championships twice.
"I do want answers," she said. "I want to know why, out of three different police departments, you can't stop that before somebody dies."
Hardin County Schools spokesman John Wright said Barber was a recent graduate of Hardin County High School. The female passenger that died and the two injured teens are all current students at John Hardin High School.
"It feels like its a big old storm," said John Hardin High School senior Nick Novotka. "Today, people have been either not wanting to talk about it or saying anything to just get their mind off of it."
Superintendent Teresa Morgan released a statement about the impact of the accident on students.
“We are saddened about the loss of two members of the John Hardin High School family. Jacob Barber and senior Katarina Peeters passed away over the weekend in an automobile accident. Jacob had just graduated from Hardin County High School.
Katarina was a wonderful student that enjoyed her time in and out of the classroom. She was truly loved by family and friends. She was also a member of the school’s archery team. She had lots of potential and had a successful life in front of her.
Jacob was a leader and a young man that had a full and vibrant life ahead of him as well. He also was a wonderful student and was admired by his peers, his family, teachers and school staff.
The burden that these families now bear is overwhelming. Their worlds have been shaken to the core by the pain of this unspeakable tragedy. We encourage our community and the rest of the HCS family to keep these families in their thoughts and deepest concerns."
Welsh was transported to Hardin Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries where he was later released and taken into custody by the Meade County Sheriff's Office.
A passenger in Welsh's vehicle, 36-year-old Laura Neville, also from West Virginia, was taken to the Hardin Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. She was taken into custody by KSP upon her release. She was charged with possession of a controlled substance and booked into the Hardin County Detention Center on a fugitive warrant. She's being held on a $5,000 bond and is expected to appear in court on Monday.
According to an arrest warrant, the chase began on Down Home Lane in rural Meade Co. A deputy said he spotted the vehicle and Welsh hit the gas and tried to ram the sheriff's office cruiser. While being chased, deputies say Welsh nearly hit a police officer trying to deploy stop sticks in the road. The vehicle he and Neville were in was stolen, the citation says.
"We tell people, you just got to do what you're told, stop," Sharp said. "Because in the long run, it's going to be more problems for you and heartbreak for other people as well."
The crash remains under investigation. This story will be updated as more information is released.
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