Inset: Emilynn Clark (GoFundMe). Background: The area near where Emilynn Clark died in an ATV crash in Vicco, Ky. (Google Maps).
A 16-year-old girl in Kentucky has been charged after an ATV crash that killed her best friend, Bluegrass State authorities say.
The girl”s name has not been released due to her status as a minor but she stands accused of one count of driving under the influence, according to the Perry County Sheriff’s Department.
The underlying incident killed 16-year-old Emilynn Clark and severely injured one of two other passengers. The crash occurred around 9 p.m. on Feb. 28, on Oakwood Avenue in Vicco, a tiny unincorporated community located some 130 miles southeast of Lexington.
During the incident, the vehicle went off the road and careened over an embankment, according to the sheriff’s department.
“A lot of people hurting, high school kids — the whole school and community is mourning the loss of a fantastic young lady,” Perry County Sheriff Joe Engle said in comments reported by Roanoke, Virginia-based CBS affiliate WDBJ.
The sheriff identified the driver of the ATV as Emilynn’s best friend.
Clark “was best friends with the other girl that survived, so there’s a lot of people dealing with a lot of emotions and heartbreak right now,” Engle said.
“We do believe alcohol to be a factor in this,” he added.
Emilynn was remembered fondly in a GoFundMe for funeral expenses and to build a monument in her honor.
“She was loved by everyone who knew her and for her infectious smile,” the teenager’s uncle wrote in the online fundraiser. “She enjoyed sports such as playing volleyball and basketball.”
There are several layers to the ongoing investigation.
Initially, the sheriff’s department said charges are “pending” against two men — both of whom were identified as adults — who are alleged to have been involved in the crash. That claim was made in a since-deleted Facebook post.
In a later press release, Engle said he recently met with the lead prosecutor in the jurisdiction to discuss charges and “the direction the Commonwealth would like to proceed with the facts we presented.”
“Two search warrants have been executed,” Engle said in the later press release. “A search warrant was executed last night for Mr. Noah Back’s cell phone. [The sheriff’s office] has the phone in our possession. It will be sent for analysis in another crime we are investigating separate from the accident.”
Back has been identified as the owner of the ATV in question, according to Lexington-based CBS and The CW affiliate WKYT.
The sheriff later clarified that the original statement about pending charges meant additional charges in the case could be in the offing based on how prosecutors view the incident. Such charges might include vehicular homicide or manslaughter, Engle said.
“Let him kind of guide us [on] what to present to the grand jury,” the sheriff said in comments reported by WKYT.
As for the crash itself, a blood sample from the scene of the crime is in the process of being tested, according to law enforcement. Deputies are also reviewing surveillance video from local businesses in an effort to determine who purchased the alcohol consumed that night.
There are also parallel investigations being conducted by social services and the Perry County School District, Engle said.
Emilynn was a sophomore at Perry County Central High School. The school issued a statement in response to her death.
“It is with the deepest sadness we have learned one of our students at Perry County Central High School was tragically killed in an ATV accident Saturday evening,” the statement reads. “Our hearts are broken for the student’s family, her friends, and our Commodore family…Please keep this family and others involved in your thoughts and prayers in the days to come.”
