GODFREY • A Godfrey man was charged Tuesday with crashing an SUV into a home, killing a 73-year-old man inside.
Jacob L. Fickle, 24, of the 200 block of Mercury Drive, was charged with leaving the scene of a traffic accident that resulted in the death, a felony. Madison County Circuit Judge Kyle Napp set bail at $150,000.
Fickle also was charged with domestic battery for reportedly beating two people and he was issued traffic citations for allegedly driving when his license was revoked and for failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
The man who was killed was Marlin F. Bushnell, a widower, of the 100 block of Saturn Drive in Godfrey.
Sheriff’s deputies received a call about a disturbance at 10:42 p.m. Sunday at a home in the 200 block of Mercury Drive. A few minutes later, they received a 911 call about a crash on Saturn Drive.
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Authorities said that Fickle had gotten into a quarrel at the home on Mercury Drive, grabbed the keys to an SUV, drove off and smashed into Bushnell's house.
Bushnell was believed to have been sitting in a chair in his living room when the SUV crashed through the front door about 10:45 p.m. He was found dead underneath the car.
Police said the driver had fled. About 40 minutes later, police arrested Fickle on the parking lot of Beer Barrel Pub on Montclair Avenue.
A friend said that Bushnell did small-engine repair work in his garage and had driven a school bus for many years, after retiring from another job.
Fickle was in the Madison County Jail on Tuesday.
Jacob Fickle, of Godfrey, pleaded guilty to charges he drove while drunk and crashed an SUV into a Godfrey home, killing a man inside.
Margaret Gillerman is a reporter for the Post-Dispatch.
