Indianapolis man arrested following fatal Clark County crash

Monday, October 27, 2025 at 3:35 PM

By Staff report

The Illinois State Police (ISP) arrested an Indianapolis man after a fatal crash in Clark County, Illinois.

The accident resulted in the arrest of 34-year-old Edwin O. Pacheco-Meza as the Clark County State’s Attorney’s Office filed two counts of Aggravated Driving Under the Influence and one count of Reckless Homicide against Meza.

Around 7 p.m. on Friday, ISP responded to a two vehicle crash on West Lincoln Street near South Division Street in Westfield. Preliminary information shows a Chevrolet Express van driven by Pacheco-Meza was traveling eastbound when it crossed the center line and hit a Ford F150 truck traveling westbound head-on.

Two passengers in the F150 truck, 71-year-old Michael Clayton and 66-year-old Gail Clayton, both of Charleston, were pronounced deceased on scene, and the driver and an additional passenger in the truck, a 72-year-old man and a 66-year-old woman, both of Charleston, were transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The passenger of the van, Juan L. Morales Martinez, 18, of Lawrence, was uninjured and the driver, Pacheco-Meza, was treated for minor injuries.

Following the crash, Pacheco-Meza was detained in the Clark County Jail. On Monday, a detention hearing was conducted and Pacheco-Meza remains in custody pending court proceedings.

The investigation is ongoing.