ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich. — The driver who police say hit a minivan full of kids in Allegan County and left the scene back in March has been charged.
Robert Lambert Jr., 53, was arrested and charged with Operating While Intoxicated Causing Serious Impairment of a body function and failure to stop at the scene of an accident resulting in serious impairment.
Michigan State Police say Lambert was the driver involved in a crash back on March 8 around 7:30 p.m. near 142nd Avenue and Division Avenue South in Leighton Township.
Lambert was in Allegan District Court on Thursday where he waived his right to a probable cause hearing which sends the case to circuit court. On Thursday, he was arraigned in circuit court and pleaded not guilty.
Police say Lambert was driving his blue GMC pick-up truck when he rear-ended a minivan stopped at a stop sign at a high rate of speed and drove away.
Troopers followed a trail of debris and gouge marks to Lambert's home on 137th Avenue and found his truck located behind a pole barn on the property.
Police say they smelled alcohol on Lambert and that he showed signs of being impaired so they gave him a blood draw.
Court documents show Lambert had BAC of .200 which is nearly three times the legal limit in Michigan.
Data extracted from Lambert's phone shows him at a Grand Rapids bar until approximately 20 minutes prior to the crash.
The van's driver, a 63-year-old Byron Center woman, suffered a skull fracture, subdural hemorrhage and subdural hematoma. Four young children from the Wayland area were also in the car at the time of the crash and have since recovered.