A man was sentenced to up to 15 years in prison after hitting his wife with a car while intoxicated.
Nicholas Elka, 39, will serve between 6 and 15 years in prison for the death of Teea Ann Elka, 48, whom he fatally struck with a vehicle following a confrontation in 2024.
Washtenaw County Jail Trial Court Judge Carol Kuhnke, Elka’s sentencing judge, gave him credit for 584 days—or a little more than 1.5 years—already served in jail, according to court records.
Elka pled no contest in February to operating while drunk, resulting in death. Although Elka had earlier been charged with open murder, the accusation was dropped in March 2025 after more investigation found that the prosecutor’s office could not prove he intended to strike his wife.
During a quarrel, Elka ran over his wife, Teea Ann Elka of Belleville, with a pickup truck.
Jessica Blanch, a former Washtenaw County assistant prosecuting attorney, said after Elka’s arraignment that she caught him engaged in sexual actions with another lady around 11:40 p.m. on September 21, 2024.
Nicholas Elka and his wife were on Liss Road near Tuttle Hill Road in Augusta Township, and Teea Elka was outside the truck when Nicholas Elka accelerated and drove away. In a swear-to hearing, Michigan State Police trooper Denis McCarthy testified that the other person in Nicholas Elka’s automobile at the time was aware that he had hit his wife.
McCarthy stated that he dropped off the other woman before returning to the location with his father and phoning police.
McCarthy claimed blood was detected on the vehicle’s undercarriage. Blanch said during the arraignment that he “ran over” Teea Elka.
A preliminary breath test revealed that Nicholas Elka had a blood-alcohol percentage of 0.081, slightly more than Michigan’s legal driving limit, and had been drinking while driving, Blanch said.
Teea Elka worked as a preschool teacher at Love, Learn, Laughter Montessori Preschool and Childcare Center in Ypsilanti Township, according to an obituary issued by Belleville-based David C. Brown Funeral Home. She enjoyed listening to country music and hunting with her rifle and bow.
Leave a Reply