Kalona man charged in crash death of 15-year-old girl

JOHNSON COUNTY - A Kalona man has been charged with vehicular homicide for the death of a 15-year-old Indiana girl one year ago this week.

According to Iowa State Patrol Criminal complaints, 28-year-old Jeffrey T. Bulechek faces charges of homicide by vehicle while operating under the influence, a Class B felony, and serious injury by vehicle, a Class D felony. If convicted of both offenses, Bulechek could spend up to 30 years in prison.

Brittany Hochstetler, of Grabil, Ind. was killed Dec. 1, 2013, when she was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Teresa Miller, 17, of Wellman, shortly after 1 a.m. Brooke S. Miller, of Oklahoma, was also in the car when it collided with a pickup driven by Bulechek at the intersection of 520th Street and Highway 1, south of Iowa City.

Both vehicles rolled and ended up in the ditch, causing injuries to Bulechek, Brooke Miller and Teresa Miller. Bulechek's serious injury charge refers to injuries sustained by Brooke S. Miller, the state patrol reported.

According to the criminal complaints, Bulechek failed to yield to a northbound vehicle, causing the crash. Additional investigation determined he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. Bulechek's blood-alcohol content several hours after the collision was about .06, Lt. Randy Jones said. Bulechek refused a test at the scene, Jones said.

A search warrant return filed Jan. 9 in Johnson County District Court shows investigators seized the air bag control module from the tan 2000 Ford F-150 Bulechek was driving at the time of the crash. The state patrol turned over the investigation to the Johnson County Attorney's Office in June, Jones said.

In July, Hochstetler's parents, along with the parents of Brooke Miller and Teresa Miller sued Bulechek and KTZ Roadhause, a Tiffin bar where the plaintiffs say Bulechek was drinking alcohol in the hours before the crash. The lawsuit says Brooke Miller underwent brain surgery, had rods placed in her legs and suffered hearing loss because of the collision. Teresa Miller suffered from bone chips in her spine, the suit claims.

The case has not yet been set for trial.

Bulechek pleaded guilty to drunken-driving second offense Oct. 17, 2011. The bulk of his jail time in that case was suspended, but he was ordered to pay an $1,875 fine and have one year of supervised probation.