Bode Arnold, a 28-year-old U.S. Navy petty officer, has been indicted by a grand jury over a three-vehicle crash in Texas that killed a 72-year-old teacher and injured six other people, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported.
The indictment was handed down on Tuesday. Arnold faces charges of intoxication manslaughter, manslaughter, aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury and six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. All of the charges are second-degree felonies, which carry prison terms of between two and 20 years.
The charges relate to a crash at about 10 p.m. on March 28 near the intersection of FM 1585 and Avenue P, south of Lubbock. Investigators with the Texas Department of Public Safety said Arnold was driving a 2021 Ford Mustang east on FM 1585 when he rear-ended a 2016 Dodge Ram pickup that was turning right onto Avenue P.
The impact pushed the pickup into the westbound lanes, where it crashed head-on into a Nissan Armada driven by 72-year-old Leo Schneider of Slaton, a local teacher. Schneider was taken by ambulance to University Medical Center, where he later died.
The pickup’s driver and five passengers suffered moderate injuries and were also taken to University Medical Center for treatment. Arnold was not hurt in the crash.
According to a probable cause affidavit cited by the newspaper, Arnold told officers he had been drinking alcohol before driving that night. A field sobriety test produced signs that he was intoxicated, the affidavit says.
Arnold’s attorney, Travis Ware, argued in court that the crash was unavoidable, writing in a motion: “The alleged offense is intoxicated manslaughter, wherein it is believed that another vehicle caused the accident.”
The case is ongoing.
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