20-Y-O Jack Young Charged, Jailed for Deadly Church Bus Crash That Killed 13
Appearing a gaunter version of himself on Wednesday night, Jack Dillon Young, the 20-year-old driver who crashed into a bus, killing 13 members of the First Baptist Church of New Braunfels in Texas in March, was formally charged for their deaths.
A Fox 29 report said he was charged with 13 counts of intoxication manslaughter and 13 counts of manslaughter. He surrendered himself to local authorities after indictments were issued by a Uvalde County grand jury on Monday.
Young, who is now in jail on bonds totaling $380,000, was also charged with one count of intoxication assault and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He is scheduled for arraignment on July 20 or 21, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
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District Attorney Daniel Kindred told the local publication that the bond amount was designed to keep Young in jail as a public safety measure but if he is released he will face serious restrictions.
"My hope is he doesn't make bond," Kindred said. "I think it's an issue of public safety. You have to consider the gravity of the situation."
State District Judge Camile DuBose reportedly ordered Young to submit to weekly urine testing, wear a GPS device to track his movements and stick to a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew if he makes bail. His vehicle would also be equipped with a device that prevents it from being driven by an intoxicated driver.
On March 29 at about 12:25 p.m., Young's pickup truck crashed into the church's bus carrying 14 members along U.S. Highway 83 North, just south of Ranch Road 1050 in Uvalde. The church members were a group of older adults who were on their way home from a three-day retreat at the Alto Frio Baptist Encampment. Rose Mary Harris, 64, of New Braunfels, was the lone passenger to survive.
Young, who confessed to texting while driving at the time of the crash, also told investigators that Clonazepam pills "make him sleepy" and he had taken Ambien, Lexapro and Clonazepam after leaving the Walgreens that morning.
Kindred explained that the charges allow jurors the opportunity to convict Young in two different ways based on how the crimes were committed but he cannot be convicted on both counts.
"There's two theories, one of them is they (jurors) can believe the wreck was caused by his intoxication impairment, or by reckless acts," Kindred said. "The indictments further allege the one-ton pickup was used as a deadly weapon."
Reacting to the charges, Pastor Brad McLean said his congregation would continue trusting in God whatever the outcome of the case.
"The members of the FBCNB family continue to act on our faith in God, trust His healing and presence. No matter the outcome, we shall not waver in our confidence in the Lord," he said in a statement.
Young's attorney, Rogelio F. Muñoz, said earlier this month that everyone wishes the accident "never happened" and called it "tragic."
"We wish this thing had never happened. We feel for their families and their loss. It's just something that's tragic. It just happens that this young man became involved in it. So many people lost their lives," he said.
The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the 13 church members killed in the crash as: Murray William Barrett, 67; Howard Bryan Allen, 81; Rhonda Barlow Allen, 61; Barber, 87; Margret Robinson Barber, 82; Mildred Goodlett Rosamond, 87; Addie Maurine Schmeltekopf, 84; Sue Wynn Tysdal, 76; Martha Holcomb Walker, 84; Dorothy Fern Vulliet, 84, all from New Braunfels. Others who died in the crash are: Cristie Clare Moore, 68, of Cibolo, Texas; Donna Elizabeth Hawkins, 69, of Schertz, Texas; and Avis Scholl Banks, 83, of Austin, Texas.
While some relatives of the crash victims have forgiven Young, at least one family is suing him for $1 million in damages.
Several residents of the New Braunfels community also told the San Antonio Express-News that Young deserves to be punished.
"It shook New Braunfels to the core and made everybody sick to our stomachs," said resident Chris Williams, 46. "They're going to make an example out of him I believe."
"We were disgusted and horrified by the crash. It was pretty senseless," said Emily Solis, who explained that Barrett, the deceased church bus driver, had driven her middle school classes on field trips years ago.
"The fact that church members died made it even more severe, and the number of people killed. It makes me so upset," she said.
