By Sophia Voravong
svoravong@journalandcourier.com
and Curt Slyder
cslyder@journalandcourier.com

It could take about 10 days for police to receive test results confirming that a man who caused the Wednesday night crash that killed Robert B. Liphard had drugs in his system.

Urine taken from Courtney T. Hall, 33, after the wreck on Lilly Road tested positive for a controlled substance, Officer Tim Bonner of the Lafayette Police Department said. He declined to identify the drug.

Bonner, a member of the Lafayette Metro Fatal Alcohol Crash Team that is investigating the crash, said a blood test has been sent to the Indiana State Police lab for confirmation. He said Hall's blood-alcohol content level showed a trace amount of alcohol, well below Indiana's legal limit of 0.08 percent.

Hall was jailed on suspicion of operating a vehicle with a controlled substance causing serious bodily injury. He was being held Thursday night on a $250,000 surety bond.

Hall was driving a Toyota Camry in the 1200 block of Lilly Road about 6:10 p.m. Wednesday when he turned into his driveway in front of a motorcycle driven by Liphard, 62, police said. The motorcycle struck the car.

Liphard, who had just left work at Eli Lilly's Tippecanoe Laboratories, was initially treated at St. Elizabeth Medical Center before being flown to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. He died there Thursday morning. Hall was not injured.

Deputy prosecutor Tim Kern said police are still preparing reports on the crash. He expects to file an affidavit in court today establishing probable cause to hold Hall until next week until formal charges can be filed.

Lt. Sarah Sheppard of the Purdue University Police Department is team leader of the group of FACT officers investigating this wreck. She said an autopsy is scheduled on Liphard today.

The first officer on the scene said the glare from the sun might have played a role in the crash, since Hall was driving into the evening sun, Sheppard said.

But the investigation is still in its infancy.

"You have to wonder, why didn't he see?" Bonner said. "Was it because he was impaired or was it because of the sun?"

Police also are trying to determine how fast Liphard was driving, he said. Liphard was not wearing a helmet.

This is not Hall's first time in the county jail. The former McCutcheon High School three-sport standout was sentenced to 41/2 years in prison in July 2004 after admitting he robbed the downtown Lafayette Bank & Trust branch in September 2003.

His sentence was reduced to 180 days of work release and 21/2 years of supervised probation, one of which was to be served on house arrest.

-- Contributing: Joe Gerrety/Journal & Courier