(La Porte, IN) - A man accused of causing a serious injury collision involving two school buses from New Prairie High School made his initial court appearance Friday on new allegations that include driving while impaired on fentanyl.

 

The additional charges against Shawn Akison include operating while intoxicated as a Level 4 felony for the catastrophic injuries suffered by junior varsity baseball player Lucas Bradshaw and operating while intoxicated as a Level 5 felony for the serious injuries sustained by assistant coach Richard Shail.

 

The new counts were filed after test results from the blood taken from Akison after the May 8 crash showed he was allegedly under the influence of fentanyl. 

 

Shail, who attended the hearing in La Porte Circuit Court, seemed at a loss for words about the impaired driving allegations but not about the work of law enforcement.

 

“I guess I really don’t know what to say about it.  I’m just happy that the courts have reacted aggressively towards what needs to be done.  He’s being held accountable and that’s all I look forward to,” he said.

 

Initially, Akison was charged with Level 5 felony criminal recklessness.

 

The remainder of the new charges are two counts of Level 5 felony criminal recklessness and two counts of Class A misdemeanor operating while intoxicated all related to the injuries of Bradshaw and Shail.

 

Akison, 41, of Romeoville, Illinois appeared live on a courtroom screen through a video camera from the La Porte County Jail where he’s being held to await the outcome of the case on $20,000 bond.

 

He only responded to yes or no questions from Judge Julianne Havens to make sure he understood his rights and the new charges against him during the brief proceedings.

 

According to La Porte County Police, Akison was driving a box truck at high speeds and using a cell phone when he struck the back end of a mini-school bus stopped at a traffic light on U.S. 20 just north of LaPorte.  The accident also involved a second mini-bus carrying the rest of the team and a semi-truck.

 

Akison had just fled from police in St. Joseph County who called off the pursuit after trying to stop him for reckless driving minutes before the crash, police said. 

 

When asked for his identification after the collision, police said Akison seemed to have trouble focusing and offered slow lethargic responses to questions from law enforcement.

 

Akison told investigators he did not recall the crash but explained he had been on a long trip in the truck before taking a nap during a seven hour break in South Bend and was heading back to Illinois with a load of Amazon goods, police said.

 

Bradshaw, who suffered a brain injury, is now recovering at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Center, a long term care facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan where he continues to show gradual improvement.

 

According to his family’s most recent social media post, the once comatose Bradshaw is walking now with just minimal assistance and speaking in longer sentences but struggles at times with short term memory.

 

Other improvements in Bradshaw cited by the family include the beginning of facial expressions and improved attention span.

 

Shail is recovering at home now from a broken vertebrae in his back, eight broken ribs and other injuries.  He’s no longer using a walker and started undergoing therapy last week after having his back brace removed.

 

He plans to be in the press box for the first New Prairie High School football game at home next week to run the 25 second and 40 second play clock.

 

Shail, who’s also a school board member, has operated the clock for about the past five years after being part of the chain crew on the field for close to 20 years.

 

“I enjoy it,” he said.

 

He was accompanied in the courtroom by his wife, Nancy, and Nick Otis, his attorney in a civil lawsuit he plans to file against Akison and other potential responsible parties.

 

“We anticipate that will happen relatively soon,” Otis said.

 

Otis said Akison was a delivery driver at the time of the crash as a subcontractor for Amazon.

 

In June, his request for a bond reduction was denied by Havens, who said her decision was based on the defendant having nine prior mostly drug related felony convictions and 12 prior misdemeanor convictions.

 

According to court records, Akison is also waiting for the outcome of a Level 6 felony drug related possession charge filed against him in January in Lake County, Ind.