Rockville,IN : Former Parke County sheriff, wife killed in crash on December, Thursday 21st 2017

Authorities say a former sheriff and his wife have died following a head-on collision with a drunken driver in western Indiana.

The Tribune-Star reports 74-year-old Michael Eslinger and his wife, Darla, 73, died in the crash Thursday night along U.S. highway 41 near Rockville. They were passengers in an SUV driven by their 17-year-old granddaughter, who was injured.

The newspaper says Mike Eslinger served two terms as Parke County sheriff in the 1970s. He was later re-elected as sheriff and served another two terms, retiring in 2014. Darla Eslinger had retired as the county's emergency management director.

"Mike and Darla were like family to me," said Indiana Department of Correction Commissioner Rob Carter in a statement on Friday. "The law enforcement family has lost a legend and he will truly be missed.

Authorities say a truck driven by Bryan Robertson, 41, of Rockville, crossed the center line. Robertson and the 28-year-old woman riding in his truck were injured.


Court records show Robertson registered a blood alcohol content of 0.117. The legal limit is 0.08 percent.

He has been charged with two counts of causing death while operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and two counts of causing serious injuring while operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, according to court records.

Source :
Former Parke County sheriff, wife killed in crash