John Tuohy

john.tuohy@indystar.com

Daniel and Kathleen Oberhart met as high schoolers decades ago at a roller rink in Davenport, Iowa.

A long courtship and marriage followed, then a move to Noblesville and a family.

This past weekend the family was returning from an Anderson roller rink after a birthday celebration when tragedy struck with cruel improbability.

A robbery suspect fleeing police crashed his Honda minivan head-on into the Oberhart’s Lincoln MKZ Saturday night, killing Daniel and his son Riley, 24, and seriously injuring Kathleen and daughter, Macy, 14.

The suspect, Gary Agnew, 53, who was wanted for robbing a Pizza Hut moments earlier, was also killed.

Now, the Oberhart’s loved ones are left planning two burials while nursing half the family to health.

It's left classmates and friends of the children, as well as neighbors, family and loved ones of the parents in two states in shock and grief.

“We hope that we can make services so that Kathleen and Macy are well enough to attend,” said Darin Oberhart, 48, Daniel’s brother. Kathleen and Macy are at IU Health in fair and stable condition, a hospital spokesman said.

Daniel, 53, and Kathleen, 50, married in 1989 and moved from the Quad Cities to Noblesville 13 years ago, just after Macy was born, for their careers. Daniel works in business management and recently was hired by Conduent in Noblesville. Kathleen is a nursing administrator at St. Vincent Health.

Riley, who graduated from Noblesville High School and attended Ball State University until 2012, worked at Best Buy in Castleton. Macy is an eighth grader at Noblesville West Middle School. Both were musically talented. Riley played the trombone, and Macy the trumpet, though she recently added an instrument to her catalog.

"She just got a Ukulele for Christmas, and she picked it up right away," Darin Oberhart said.

Macy's schoolmates spent much of Tuesday caring for her in one way or another, said Marnie Cooke, a spokeswoman for Noblesville Schools.

She said her friends decorated her locker, sent flowers to the hospital and raised money for hospital expenses and a future field trip. Counselors will be available this week to help the classmates, Cooke said.

Darrin said Daniel Oberhart was popular for his handiness in the family's neighborhood.

“He was the most giving person ever and was was well-respected,” Darin Oberhart said. “If you needed help with something on your house, he would be right there with his tool belt.”

Kathleen Oberhart is the youngest of three sisters and studied at the University of Iowa, specializing in neo-natal care. She had held a number of nursing positions before becoming an administrator.

"She is a vibrant and lovely person, a free-thinker," Darin Oberhart said. For Christmas, Kathleen knitted the family small figures of Star Wars characters. "Like little bobble heads but without bobbling heads," Darin said.

Kathleen's sister, Kelly Meyer, said the Oberharts were a close family bonded by a fondness for their native state and a passion for the Iowa Hawkeye football team.

"They were all four very close and did everything together," Kelly said. "That's what they were together when this horrible accident happened."

The family had been celebrating Macy's 14th birthday, which was Friday.

Madison County Prosecutor Rodney J. Cummings said Anderson police officers chasing Agnew followed department rules for police pursuits. He said officers are permitted to chase suspects who pose an imminent danger to the public.

"He had just robbed a place, and police are instructed to pursue violent offenders," Cummings said. "You can't just let violent offenders go and let them go out harming others."

Anderson Police Maj. Joel Sandefur said the department has a seven-page manual on police pursuit procedures but declined to release it to IndyStar until the city attorney had reviewed it.

The crash happened at 10:30 p.m. Saturday when Agnew swerved from northbound Raible Avenue to the southbound lane to get around a car and crashed into the Oberharts.

Sandefur said he did not know how fast the cars were traveling but said Daniel Oberhart was driving.

Cummings said the crash was only 2 miles from the Pizza Hut An employee of the restaurant called 911 immediately after the robbery, and police spotted the suspect within a minute or two, he said. Cummings said police found a handgun in the minivan.

After the crash, police said they were able to link Agnew to two recent liquor store robberies in Anderson — one that occurred a half-hour before the Pizza Hut robbery. They also think he robbed a Subway in Pendleton.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise $20,000 to cover the Oberharts' hospital expenses. More than $14,000 had been donated as of Tuesday evening.

Darin Oberhart said he blames Agnew, not police, for the wreck.

"I don't have any animosity toward law enforcement," he said. "Bad people do bad things and make bad decisions and that's what this suspect did and that's what resulted in the deaths of our family members."

Call IndyStar reporter John Tuohy at 317 444-6418 and follow on Twitter @john_tuohy