TYLER, Texas — A Kilgore man has been charged with manslaughter after his vehicle struck a stalled car, killing a 22-year-old Overton resident and injuring three other people, on Highway 31 late Wednesday night.
Gary L. Nichols, 40, was booked into the Smith County Jail for intoxicated manslaughter after police say he struck a vehicle while its passengers were trying to get the car moving by pushing and pulling it.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, a 1997 GMC Jimmy had become disabled in the eastbound lane of Highway 31 East 13 miles east of Tyler.
Devin C. Hardee, 24, and Jace D. Taylor, 22, both of Overton, were attempting to push/pull the vehicle while the driver, Ashley L. Wilson, and passenger Hayley Wilson remained in the vehicle, DPS said.
Nichols was driving a 2008 Cadillac CTS eastbound on the same roadway and struck the disabled vehicle, according to DPS.
Taylor was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ashley L. Wilson, 22, of Overton, was taken to UT Health East Texas – Tyler in critical condition, while Hayley Wilson, 23, of Overton, was taken to Christus Trinity Mother Frances Hospital – Tyler in critical condition, DPS said.
Hardee was transported to UT Health East Texas – Tyler in stable condition. Nichols was treated at the scene, DPS reported.
Nichols' bond for the manslaughter charge was set at $1 million. He was also charged with failure to comply with a sex offender's duty to register on a $25,000 bond.
According to the Texas sex offender registry, Nichols was sentenced to two years in prison for indecency with a child by exposure in 2015. His registry requirement currently ends in 2027.
Under the state penal code, a person found guilty of intoxicated manslaughter faces between two to 20 years in prison, a fine up to $10,000 and a driver's license suspension ranging from six months to two years.
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