Bond has been set at $30,000 for the man charged in an accident that killed a 6 year-old Gary boy on Interstate 70 near Greenfield, Ind., last week.
Charles Goodman, 53, of Gary, appeared in court Tuesday morning in Greenfield, a Hancock County Prosecuting Attorney representative said Tuesday. Goodman was booked on charges of reckless homicide, a level six felony, and driving while suspended, a misdemeanor, Monday afternoon, according to online court documents.
He was taken from the hospital in which he was treated for a broken jaw and arm to Hancock County Jail, the representative said. The conditions of the other 11 people injured during the crash were unknown.
In court, Goodman said there mechanical deficiencies with the bus.
“The bus had problems. Suspension problems. It had power steering problems. The bus was overheating. The bus was stopping while I was driving,” Goodman said.
“The tires on the driver’s side blew up and the truck went sideways. Then we went into the ravine and that’s what happened. I had no control over the bus,” he said.
A judge appointed a public defender for him Tuesday.
Authorities have said Goodman doesn’t hold an Illinois license and has been driving on a suspended license for nearly a decade.
“My license was not suspended from Illinois. I’ve got proof of it at my house in Illinois,” Goodman said.
Goodman admitted in court that he was not licensed in Indiana.
Meanwhile, visitation for the victim, Jacob Williams, will start at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, at St. Jude Deliverance Center, 4201 Broadway in Gary. Funeral services are set for 11 a.m. at the church.
Donations for the family are being accepted at Powell-Coleman Funeral Home, 3200 W. 15th Ave. in Gary. Those making donations will receive a receipt, representatives said Monday.
Williams was killed July 28 when the bus Goodman was driving from the St. Jude Deliverance Center overturned in Hancock County, about 20 miles east of Indianapolis. The bus was one vehicle in a caravan of others carrying church members to a youth conference in Ohio.
Goodman was driving on a suspended license at the time and was wanted on warrant out of Lake County for failure to appear on a traffic offense at the time of the accident, officials said.
More Top Picks Best Waterproof Shoes Under 20
The bus did not have the required federal registration needed for its out-of-state-trip, police said. Bishop Lois Hill, of St. Jude Family Worship Center, disputed the vehicle needed a Department of Transportation number.
A message left at the church Tuesday for comment was not returned.
Michelle Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune. The Associated Press contrinuted.