Ind. Boy, 5, Who Just Graduated Preschool, and Great-Grandfather Killed After Driver Crashes Through Home

Jerry Michael, 74, and his great-grandson Jenson Reynolds were pronounced dead at the scene after an alleged drunk driver crashed through a Montpelier home, police said

Jenson Reynolds
Photo: Change.org

An Indiana woman was arrested after police allege she killed a young boy and his great-grandfather, when she crashed her car through a home while driving under the influence on Thursday.

Police in Montpelier, Ind., said in a press release that Brandi Bare, 46, was behind the wheel of a vehicle that left the roadway and barrelled through the back of 74-year-old Jerry "Jake" Michael's home, then crashed through the front of the house before colliding with another car parked in the driveway.

Michael and his great-grandson, 5-year-old Jenson Reynolds, whom family said were "best friends," were pronounced dead at the scene, the release said.

Jenson had just graduated preschool and "was so excited for kindergarten," his dad Jerod Reynolds, who was also injured in the crash, told WTHR-TV. "He's so smart, so funny, so loving, sweet."

Citing court documents, the outlet reports Jenson's body was found trapped beneath Bare's vehicle.

His 18-month-old sister Emma was also injured and airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital.

After her arrest, Bare was able to slip out of her left handcuff, exit the police vehicle and flee. She was apprehended a few yards away, according to the station.

"She drove through the back of the house, through the house, out the front and hit everybody, then got out of her car and took off," Jenson's grandfather Jeff Strait said, according to WTHR. "That's the whole problem. She's a flight risk."

Jenson's grandmother Lisa Simmons said the family was setting up for a yard sale moments before the collision.

"It was like a movie, where you see glass and things are shattering and you've got the dust and you're looking around and there's bodies, and it's like — I'll never forget that. That will never be out of my mind," said Simmons.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

Police believe drugs and alcohol to be contributing factors in the deadly crash, according to the press release.

During Bare's blood draw, she allegedly told an officer "she was sorry and did not mean to do it," according to WTHR.

Bare faces two counts each of the following charges: driving drunk causing death, reckless homicide, and driving drunk causing serious bodily injury.

She also faces a single count of resisting law enforcement.

A judge set her bond at $5,000, per the outlet.

Her first court appearance is scheduled for June 9. It wasn't immediately clear if Bare retained an attorney.

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched on behalf of the victims' family to help cover medical and funeral costs.

Related Articles