As of right now, in Indiana if you are involved in a hit and run resulting in death, you are only charged with "Leaving the scene resulting in death" and you only face 36 months in jail. If you are caught within a few hours and test positive for drugs that charge changes to Manslaughter. We say that ALL hit and runs resulting in death should be a Manslaughter charge.

 On July 7, 2015 Steven Rehmel was riding his bike to work to provide for his family, like he did every morning when he was killed in a tragic hit and run. Christopher M. Hughes who was driving without a driver’s license and awaiting trial for heroin and cocaine charges in another county hit Steven Rehmel and failed to stop or call for help. Christopher Hughes instead chose to drive home, take a shower and go to work like it was any other day. When he was questioned about the car being wrecked by his mother Chris told her that he hit a deer. Thirteen hours after he fatally hit and killed another man the police caught up to him from an anonymous tip and he admitted to the police that he knew he hit someone. The police drug tested Chris and Chris knowing he was going to test dirty told them he had used heroin 3 days prior to the accident. Although the police tested him for drugs they say if it comes back positive he cannot be charge with anything other than leaving the scene resulting in death because a positive drug test would not prove that he was high at the time, so because Christopher Hughes hid like a coward for 13 hours he will not serve more than 36 months in jail. Christopher doesn’t care that he killed another man taking away a husband, a father a brother an uncle and a papi all he cares about is getting out of jail, so he has requested a bail reduction hearing. It is too late for harsher penalties to help Steven Rehmel, but it is not too late for us to make a change and give his grieving family closure and peace of mind knowing that these criminals will not walk away with a "slap on the wrist" that they get now.