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A University of Kentucky fraternity has suspended Jacob Heil, a pledge who is accused of hitting a 4-year-old boy on Saturday, September 15, while driving under the influence.
According to reports, the 18-year-old Heil was arrested on Saturday, September 15, for driving under the influence around 2 p.m. Heil allegedly hit a 4-year-old who was walking with his dad on Cooper Drive in Lexington during the university’s football game against Murray State over the weekend.
The 4-year-old tragically then passed away on Monday, September 17.
The national office for Alpha Tau Omega released the following statement about Heil, who is a freshman at the University of Kentucky:
“We join the community in keeping the young boy in our prayers. Officials with the ATO national office are touch with members of the chapter and university officials as we seek to determine details of what happened before the accident. ATO can confirm Jacob Heil pledged to the chapter earlier this week but has been suspended.”
In reflecting on tonight’s tragedy, SGA will be looking into solutions for transportation and other saftey issues associated with game days. Your input is always welcome: safety@uksga.org
Our thoughts are with the young boy and his family. #BBN
— UK StudentGovernment (@uksga) September 16, 2018
Marco Lee Shemwell, 4, died Monday at UK Healthcare’s Kentucky Children’s Hospital, according to the University of Kentucky. The child was hit around 2 p.m. Saturday while he and his family were waiting to cross Cooper Drive near Scoville Drive, according to police.
The driver, 18-year-old Jacob R. Heil, was driving east on Cooper and his car might have “veered off the road a little bit,” Lexington police Sgt. Stephen Yoder said Saturday. The boy was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Heil, a registered first-year student at UK according to university spokesman Jay Blanton, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence.
The arrest citation for Heil stated he had “a strong odor of alcoholic beverages, red blood shot watery eyes and showed signs of impairment on field sobriety tests,” according to WKYT, the Herald-Leader’s reporting partner.
Heil is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday, September 19.
The Lexington Police Department is asking anyone who witnessed the crash to call the department at 859-258-3600.
That is all the information available at this time. This article will be updated should more become available.
Jacob Heil via Lexington Police
