Man charged with vehicular homicide in crash that left two Kentuckians dead
A Texas man has been charged with vehicular homicide after police say he caused a crash that killed two people Saturday in Maysville.
The crash happened on Highway 9 (AA Highway), near Slack Pike Road, in Mason County.
A vehicle occupied by 39-year-old Joshua and 44-year-old Latasha Wells, of Germantown, was rear-ended by William Darnell, 38, of McKinney, Texas, according to Kentucky State Police. The Wells’ vehicle was pushed into the path of a Chevrolet Malibu, and their car collided with it head-on, KSP said.
Joshua and Latasha Wells died at the scene. The driver of the Malibu was taken to University of Cincinnati Hospital and is stable, police said.
Darnell was arrested and charged with two counts of vehicular homicide — under the influence of alcohol, first-degree assault, first-degree wanton endangerment, DUI, marijuana possession and other traffic offenses, KSP said. He was also wanted out of Collin County, Texas, for an unrelated warrant.
Darnell was leaning on a guardrail and appeared intoxicated to officers at the scene, according to his arrest citation.
Darnell refused to do field sobriety tests, but a warrant was executed for a blood draw at a local hospital, according to court documents. KSP said he is being held at the Mason County Detention Center.
A passenger in Darnell’s vehicle, Joshua William Darnell, was charged with leaving the scene of accident/failure to render aid leading to death or serious physical injury and public alcohol intoxication. William Darnell’s arrest citation says Colt Darnell fled after the wreck but was later arrested by Mason County deputies.
The collision remains under investigation by KSP.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the name of the passenger who was charged in the crash. Police said they initially misidentified him because he gave authorities a sibling’s name.
This story was originally published November 18, 2024 at 12:31 PM.
