A young man who was charged over a year and-a-half ago in relation to a vehicular crash that claimed the life of a local 911 Dispatcher, Walter “Russell” Aaron, has been sentenced in Overton County, Tennessee.
According to Lindsey Cadle, Assistant District Attorney General, Chance White, of Livingston, pled guilty to reckless vehicular assault, which is a Class C Felony in the state of Tennessee.
The felony carries a three to 15 year sentence. However, sentencing in the case was determined by the judge and, due to the lack of a criminal or felony history, the judge ordered a six year diversion and 30 days jail time, which began immediately, according to court officials.
In addition, as a part of the diversion, and at the request of the family, White would be required to complete 100 hours of community service and speak to high school seniors about what he did to hopefully deter that behavior in others, according to media reports.
White, who was age 17 and a high school senior at the time of the incident, was charged after the two-vehicle wreck at Static claimed the life of Aaron, of Byrdstown, Tennessee ,and formerly of Albany.
The wreck occurred on August 14, 2022 and Aaron died from injuries sustained in the crash five days later, on August 19, 2022.
According to an article in the Pickett County Press following the accident, Aaron was on his way to work at the dispatch center in Albany early Sunday morning.
Tennessee Highway Patrol reports said the incident occurred around 5:30 a.m. at the intersection of Hwy. 111 and State Line Road at Static.
Aaron was operating a 2006 Ford F150 northbound on Hwy. 111 and the 17-year-old White from Livingston, Tennessee, was driving a 2011 Chevy Silverado east on State Line Road. The vehicle driven by White failed to stop at the intersection and struck Aaron’s vehicle, according to the report.
Both vehicles came to rest against a guardrail on the Kentucky side of the state line. The truck driven by Aaron caught fire and he was removed from the truck by a witness before the vehicle became fully engulfed, the report said.
Both Aaron and White were initially taken to the Med Center at Albany and Aaron was then taken to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, where he passed away five days later.
At the time of the incident, authorities noted that charges were pending against White.
The wreck was investigated by Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Darren Butler.