IONIA COUNTY, Mich. — An Ionia woman has received eight additional charges against her in connection to a crash that killed two bicyclists and critically injured three others.
Mandy Marie Benn, 42, is accused of hitting five bicyclists participating in a Make-A-Wish event in July.
Benn previously had seven charges filed against her in August and has now received eight additional charges in relation to the incident.
Ionia County Prosecutor Kyle B. Butler announced the new charges Wednesday, including two counts of 2nd Degree Murder.
"The nature of this case involves a significant amount of investigation and fact determination. The investigation has continued since the day of incident and is still on-going. However, based on the totality of information presented to me by investigating agencies, additional charges have been determined to be warranted," Butler said in a statement on Wednesday.
The charges against Mandy Marie Benn are the following:
- Two counts of Homicide Murder Second Degree
- Two counts Operating Under The Influence Causing Death
- Two counts Reckless Driving Causing Death
- Two counts Operating Under The Influence Causing Serious Injury
- Two counts Reckless Driving Causing Serious Impairment Of A Body Function
- Three counts of Controlled Substance - Possession/Analogues
- One count of Operating While Intoxicated 2nd Offense
- One count of Driving Reckless
The Ionia County Sheriff's Office says the incident happened around 11:15 a.m. on Stage Road in Ronald Township.
An investigation by police showed 5 cyclists had been hit by an SUV after it crossed the center line while attempting to pass a UPS truck that was slowing down for a stop.
One of the bikers was pronounced dead at the scene while another was flown by Aero Med to Spectrum Butterworth in Grand Rapids but was pronounced dead at the hospital. Three other victims suffered severe injuries.
The two individuals who were killed were identified as Edward Erickson, 48, of Ann Arbor, and Michael Salhaney, 57, of Bloomfield Hills.
All bikers were part of the Make-A-Wish Bicycle Tour, a three-day endurance ride that covered most of the state of Michigan.
Benn was also charged with Operating While Visibly Impaired back in 2017 in the same county.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
