Deputy Sheriff Stacia Alyea was killed in a single-vehicle accident during a high-speed pursuit of a drunken driver which began on Interstate 74 north of Fairfield.

   As she and two Shelbyville officers continued pursuing the 23-year-old driver into Rush County, Deputy Alyea's vehicle ran over Stop Sticks that had been placed on State Road 44, puncturing her squad car's tires.

   She lost control of her vehicle, veering off the right side of the road, then across the highway before hitting a tree about three miles east of Homer. Deputy Alyea was pronounced dead at the scene.

   The driver was arrested in Franklin County denying the accident was his fault. He was initially charged with 14 offenses, but later pleaded guilty to resisting law enforcement causing death, sentenced to 10 years in prison and released in 2000.

   Deputy Alyea had received an award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving the previous week for her work in drunken driving enforcement. She previously served with the Shelbyville Police Department as a reserve officer.

   Deputy Sheriff Alyea (née Lockridge), from Greenfield, was survived by her husband, who serves as a captain with the sheriff's department, a 10-year-old son, twin 6-year-old daughters, three stepchildren, sister, two brothers and mother.