Blake Coombs Sentenced In Resisting Law Enforcement Resulting In Death Case

He was sentenced to 16 years with 1 year suspended.

Blake Coombs, Photo Provided.

(Madison, Ind.) - On Tuesday, April 20, 2021, Blake Coombs appeared in the Jefferson County Circuit court to be sentenced after pleading guilty to two counts of Resisting Law Enforcement Resulting in Death as Level 3 Felonies.  Families of the victims also appeared to provide victim impact statements during the hearing. 

According to a statement made by the Indiana State Police immediately following the incident, on January 9, 2020 at approximately 3:45 pm, a Madison Police Officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a 2005 Toyota passenger car in Madison, Indiana. The driver fled in the vehicle from the officer before crashing the vehicle west of Madison. Two passengers in the vehicle died as a result of the crash.

The initial investigation by Indiana State Police-Versailles Detectives indicated that the vehicle being driven by Blake S. Coombs, age 18, Madison, Indiana fled from the officer northbound on State Road 7 from Madison. The Indiana State Police and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department assisted the Madison Police Department in pursuing the vehicle. The vehicle turned westbound on State Road 250, southbound on State Road 3, and then eastbound on State Road 256 back towards Madison, Indiana.

Coombs then lost control of the vehicle on SR 256 at Thompson Road, causing the vehicle to leave the roadway, striking two utility poles on the northeast corner of the intersection. A front seat passenger in the vehicle, Tyler Cooley, age 18, of Hanover, Indiana and a backseat passenger, Brooklyn James, age 19, of Madison, Indiana sustained fatal injuries in the crash. They were both pronounced deceased at the scene by the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office. Coombs was airlifted from the scene to a Louisville area hospital where he was treated for serious injuries.  Following his release from the hospital, he was arrested and has remained in custody pending trial. 

Sandy Cooley, the grandmother of victim Tyler Cooley provided a written statement to the court during the hearing on behalf of the family, “No amount of time you serve, Blake, will fix what you have done or bring back your victims.  We just wish you hadn’t been so selfish or cowardly and faced the consequences of your actions.  All you had to do was stop.” “This is a tragic and unfortunate reminder to obey traffic stops and pull over safely, even if you fear the consequences.  I want to thank the families of the victims for their participation in the court process and for providing impact statements to the court. I am continuing to keep the family of these young victims in my prayers,” said Prosecutor David Sutter at the conclusion of the hearing.   

Coombs was convicted on the lead charges, level 3 felonies, one for each victim.  He was sentenced to 16 years with 1 year suspended.  The sentencing range on a Level 3 felony is 3-16 years.  He will receive credit for time served and will serve the remainder of his sentence at the Indiana Department of Correction.