THE APEX TIMES
Citation details DUI crash in Hardin County that killed 15-year-old Ethan Rhodes; father charged
Kentucky State Police citation information, cited in court-bound reporting, describes an Elizabethtown man’s account of driving after drinking and being trapped underwater as his son asked for instructions during a June crash.
Kentucky State Police citation information has provided new details in a deadly DUI crash in Hardin County that killed a 15-year-old boy from Elizabethtown. The citation describes what investigators said happened before and after a single-vehicle crash reported in late June, and it outlines a timeline that will be tested in court as the case proceeds.
According to the reporting, Kentucky State Police responded to the 860 block of Bewley Hollow Road on June 27 for what was described as a single-vehicle injury crash. Investigators said the vehicle was found overturned and submerged in several feet of water off the roadway. Three people, including two minors, were removed from the car before troopers arrived, and each of the three was initially taken to Baptist Health Hardin.
The citation information says it was later determined at the hospital that 44-year-old David Rhodes was the driver of the vehicle, which also contained his two sons. The court-bound reporting states that Ethan Rhodes suffered severe injuries and was transferred to Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville, where he later died.
The citation includes an account attributed to Rhodes about his actions earlier that evening. He told investigators, according to the citation, that he had been at a bowling alley where he drank some beers from a pitcher before driving. Investigators said they found signs of impairment, including slurred speech, red eyes, and the odor of alcohol.
Rhodes also told investigators, as reflected in the citation, that he “went over the hill” on the roadway, lost control, and ended up in a creek with the vehicle overturned. The citation information further describes statements attributed to Rhodes about being trapped in the car as it was submerged, including his account that he was drowning and that his son asked him what to do.
Investigators reported that Rhodes told them he did not know what to do because he was drowning too. The reporting characterizes these statements as part of the citation’s account of what happened after the crash, when the vehicle was underwater and the father and his sons were trapped before rescue.
Rhodes is now charged with vehicular homicide, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and two counts of assault, according to the reporting. An Elizabethtown man charged in the case is scheduled to appear in court Monday for a preliminary hearing, the reporting said, as the citation details are set to be weighed in the criminal process.
As the matter moves forward, the case will turn on evidentiary questions typically addressed in the preliminary stage, including what investigators can show about driving conditions, impairment indicators, the circumstances of the crash, and the basis for the assault allegations. The family’s loss and the public safety stakes of impaired-driving cases remain central considerations for the community and for the court proceedings that follow.
Why It Matters
- The case centers on public safety and due process in an impaired-driving matter where the victim, a minor, died following injuries from a crash involving a vehicle submerged in water.
- Because the citation includes an attributed account of drinking and statements made during the incident, the court process will be a key step in testing the reliability and context of investigators’ evidence.
- The preliminary hearing schedule means the dispute will shift from investigative summaries to sworn testimony and documentary proof presented for judicial review.
- If the assault charges proceed alongside vehicular homicide, the prosecution’s theory will encompass more than the crash itself, raising questions about the broader circumstances addressed in charging decisions.
- The community impact of a fatal impaired-driving crash often carries long-term effects for families and local public safety priorities, and the case outcome will reflect how Kentucky handles accountability through the court system.
Key Facts
- Kentucky State Police citation information described a Hardin County DUI-related single-vehicle crash reported on June 27 at the 860 block of Bewley Hollow Road.
- Investigators said the vehicle was found overturned and submerged in several feet of water off the roadway.
- Three people, including two minors, were removed from the car before troopers arrived and were taken to Baptist Health Hardin.
- The citation information says David Rhodes, 44, was later determined at the hospital to be the driver; the vehicle also contained his two sons.
- Reporting states Ethan Rhodes, 15, was transferred to Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville and later died.
- The citation information says Rhodes told investigators he drank some beers from a pitcher at a bowling alley before driving, and investigators reported impairment indicators including slurred speech, red eyes, and odor of alcohol.
- The reporting says Rhodes is charged with vehicular homicide, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, and two counts of assault, and that he is scheduled to appear in court Monday for a preliminary hearing.