FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – A Fort Wayne man accused of having the psychoactive drug that causes a high when using marijuana in his system when he lost control of his car right before a head-on crash that killed a 73-year-old is facing felony charges.

Allen County prosecutors formally charged 22-year-old Jonathan J. Andrus on Tuesday with a Level 4 felony count of causing death when operating a motor vehicle with a Schedule I or II controlled substance in his system and a Level 6 felony count of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon.

Jonathan Andrus

Andrus is accused of testing positive for Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol and Delta-9 Carboxy tetrahydrocannabinol – typically referred to as THC and found in marijuana – after a southwest side crash on May 5 that left a man identified as John Wolf dead.

Fort Wayne police were called to the area of Covington and Randall roads that afternoon just before 5 p.m. in reference to a crash with injuries, according to Allen Superior Court documents.

Upon speaking with witnesses and looking over the scene of the crash, investigators found that Andrus was driving a 1990 Mazda MX5 at a high rate of speed east on Covington Road when he lost control of the car, court documents said.

Andrus is accused of being unable to keep his car in his lane and “went into a skid” and crossed left of the center line, according to court documents.

That’s when Andrus’ car collided with a 2010 Hyundai Accent going westbound on Covington and driven by Wolf, court documents said.

Authorities investigate the scene of a crash near the intersection of Randall and Covington roads.
Authorities investigate the scene of a May 5 crash at the intersection of Randall and Covington roads.

Both were taken to a local hospital with injuries. Days later, Wolf was pronounced dead. The Allen County coroner said in a media release Wolf died from multiple blunt force injuries due to the crash and his death was ruled an accident.

“I find that Andrus Recklessly drove his vehicle in a manner that created a substantial risk of bodily injury to multiple persons in his path,” a Fort Wayne police officer wrote in court documents.

A warrant for Andrus’s arrest was issued Tuesday, and he was booked into Allen County Lockup shortly thereafter.

He was being held on $12,500 bond.