Young woman charged with criminally negligent homicide that killed mother and son suspected of drunk driving.
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A woman charged with criminally negligent homicide in connection with an accident that killed a 49-year-old woman and her young son while they slept in their home early Sunday morning, was allegedly drunk.
The arrest warrant, obtained by Beneath the Surface News, describes Gracie Yates’ state when police arrived at a home in the 200 block of N. Ollie Street in Stephenville about 3:30 a.m. Sunday, March 22.
“Upon speaking to the defendant, officer observed blood shot/glassy eyes, extreme slurred speech, and a strong odor of alcohol emitting from her person,” the report states.
The 18-year-old initially told police that she was not driving, but later admitted that she was.
Yates is originally from Santa Anna and was reportedly in Stephenville visiting a friend.
A law enforcement official said Yates was driving a pickup when it careened into the home.
“The physics of the investigation are challenging and we have some people coming in to help us with it,” the official said.
“We are waiting on blood toxicology and forensics from the vehicle before we can say for sure how this happened.”
A third person from inside the home was also injured and is expected to make a recovery.
“This is one of those cases where we have to take our time to figure out what contributed to this tragic accident and we plan to use everyone we can to figure out exactly what happened,” SPD Captain Jeremy Lanier said.
Yates was taken to the hospital following the accident, then released.
She has been charged with two counts of criminally negligent homicide and is being held at the Erath County Jail on a $29,000 bond.
A gofundme account to help the victims’ family has already raised more than $45,000.
You can read the initial accident report here.
