Accused dealer now charged with causing a crash that left a woman dead

ALLEN COUNTY, Ind. --He was already in trouble when he fled from police and wrecked his white Cadillac sedan at North Clinton and Wallen Road Monday around 1:30 p.m.

Now Tyler Alberding, Jr. is in more trouble. He is accused of causing a crash that killed a woman and left a man driving a red pick up truck with numerous injuries. 

TylerTyler Alberding, Jr.

Alberding, 24, had been the subject of a fentanyl investigation in April when, on Monday, he was spotted leaving his apartment in the 2500 block of River Cove Trail with an “extremely large and unnatural bulge in his front left pocket,” according to a probable cause affidavit submitted by sheriff’s deputy Dane Hinsey.

Plus, he was walking at a “brisk pace.”

A sheriff’s deputy attempted to make a traffic stop on Clinton just south of Wallen Road, but Alberding refused to stop and instead wheeled through residential yards before attempting a turn from Clinton on to Wallen Road.

Alberding crossed the center line on Clinton and collided with an SUV driven by the female victim who hasn’t been identified by the Allen County Coroner yet and the pick up truck.

The female victim died several hours later at Parkview Regional Medical Center from multiple broken bones, a broken spine and other injuries.

After the collision, Alberding ran away on foot, but was captured quickly by officers. He left behind 49 grams of methamphetamine in the white Cadillac. 

But, police believe Alberding had a lot more meth on him, and the bag split when he tried to chuck it out the window. The meth was sprinkled all over the car, court documents said.

An eyewitness led police to a gray bag near the scene. So Alberding was successful in destroying some of the drug  but police believe there was far more that went missing.

Alberding faces multiple charges including methamphetamine dealing, cocaine or narcotic dealing, resisting law enforcement that led to death or catastrophic injury to another person, another resisting law enforcement causing serious bodily injury, driving while suspended, leaving the scene of an accident that caused death and leaving the scene of an accident causing moderate or serious bodily injury, criminal recklessness and obstruction of justice. In all, Alberding was charged with a Level 2 felony, Level 3 felony, two Level 4 felonies, three Level 5 felonies and a level 6 felony.

Alberding meets with the judge for his initial hearing Wednesday. His bail noted on the probable cause amounts to $105,000. He has $50,000 on another bail for a separate dealing case, according to Allen County Jail staff.