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Retired Brigadier General killed in motorcycle crash

Posted at 1:31 AM, May 12, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-12 01:31:13-04

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – A retired Air Force Brigadier General was killed Wednesday night while riding her motorcycle in Calhoun County.

Police say 59-year-old Linda McTague collided with a vehicle that turned into her path while she was riding with another motorcyclist on M-37 in Bedford Township.

"I've heard that someone pulled out of a driveway in front of her. She really had no place to go," said Bobbie Bradley, President of Talons Out Honor Flight. "We're really just trying to get more details from police, but that's what we know at this point."

Investigators say they found the driver, Stephen Landers in a nearby garage following the crash and say he told them he had some drinks after the crash to calm his nerves. Investigators say a breathalyzer showed he was over the legal limit to be driving.

Landers was arrested and charged with reckless driving causing death.

Brigadier General Linda McTague joined the Air Force in 1980. She became a pilot and spent 20 years flying at Andrews Air Force base in Washington, D.C.

After her military career, she volunteered her time working with Talons Out, which provides honor flights to veterans.

"She's a 28 year Air Force veteran. It was something close to her heart so she came over and started volunteering with us," said Bradley. "It's a part of who she was. She volunteered through her church, she was out in her community."

Bradley says she and her husband had ridden motorcycles with Brigadier General McTague in the past and were shocked to hear of the crash. She hopes other drivers will learn to look out for motorcycles on the road.

"It was something she loved, but something she was cautious about," said Bradley. “My understanding is that this driver looked, saw the first driver and apparently did not see the second rider coming through. So a second look might have saved her life. So please look twice and it may save a life.”

Bond for Stephen Landers is set at $10,000. He is due back in court later this month.

Brigadier General Linda McTague will be buried at Fort Custer in Battle Creek with full military honors.

Battle Creek police continue their investigation into the crash.