Westland Man Charged After I-94 Crash in Dearborn Kills Three; Arraigned Before Judge Salamey

Three people were killed when a Westland man allegedly drove drunk and at high speed into the rear of a stopped semi-truck on eastbound I-94 in Dearborn, where flooding had brought traffic to a halt on the night of July 3.

Hilton Dorian Yopp III, 26, of Westland, faces three counts of operating while intoxicated causing death and three counts of reckless driving causing death. The victims were Myles Bland, 27, of Dearborn, and Jailyn Riley and Alexandria Boynton, both 24, of Detroit. Yopp survived the crash and was taken to a local hospital before he was charged and jailed.

The collision happened about 11:44 p.m. on eastbound I-94 near Wyoming Avenue. Severe thunderstorms had flooded parts of the freeway and shut down portions of I-94, including the westbound lanes at Michigan Avenue in Dearborn, bringing eastbound traffic to a stop. Prosecutors allege Yopp was intoxicated, driving recklessly, and traveling at a high rate of speed when he hit the rear of the stopped semi-truck. All three passengers in his vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene. Eastbound I-94 did not reopen until about 6:21 a.m. July 4.

Yopp was arraigned July 7 before 19th District Court Chief Judge Sam Salamey in Dearborn. Salamey set bond at $200,000 with a 10% payment requirement and imposed conditions including a GPS tether, no alcohol consumption, and no driving. The 19th District Court is Wayne County's second-largest district court and handles more than 75,000 cases a year. A probable cause conference was held July 15, and a preliminary examination is scheduled for July 22.

Each count of operating while intoxicated causing death and each count of reckless driving causing death carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison under Michigan law. Because Michigan law requires concurrent sentences for multiple convictions arising from a single transaction, Yopp faces a maximum practical penalty of 15 years. An operating while intoxicated causing death conviction also carries a fine of $2,500 to $10,000. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office filed the charges.

The crash was one of several tragedies in Dearborn on July 3, when a fatal shooting inside Fairlane Town Center and storms that downed nearly 100 trees and left thousands without power also shook the city. The six felony counts and the bond conditions set by Judge Salamey reflect the severity with which Michigan law and the local court system treat impaired driving that kills on the I-94 corridor running through the heart of Dearborn.