The Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office has filed felony charges against a South Bend man in connection with a fatal hit-and-run motorcycle crash that occurred in July, following an extensive investigation by the Elkhart Police Department Fatal Crash Team.

Prosecutors charged Eric Clifton Beal, 44, of South Bend, on Dec. 9, with two Level 3 felony counts stemming from the July 10 crash that killed Caleb Watson and seriously injured Watson’s motorcycle passenger. The charges include Leaving the Scene of an Accident After Operating While Intoxicated Causing Death and Leaving the Scene of an Accident After Operating While Intoxicated Causing Catastrophic Injury.

A judicial officer previously set Beal’s bond at $1 million corporate surety. Authorities said Beal turned himself in earlier today at the Elkhart Police Department and was transported to the Elkhart County Jail for booking and processing.

Police were originally called to the crash at about 10 p.m. on July 10, after the Elkhart City 911 Communications Center received a report of a hit-and-run involving a car and a motorcycle near the intersection of County Road 6 West and John Weaver Parkway.

First responders arrived to find an unresponsive adult male motorcycle driver and an injured adult female passenger. Both were transported to the hospital for treatment. Watson, 31, later died from his injuries. His 25-year-old passenger suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Authorities emphasized that under Indiana law, a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.