Charges filed in Kentucky tragedy
Watts accused of manslaughter, drunken driving
Posted: Tuesday November 17, 1998 08:04 PM
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The charges against Watts further deflates the spirits of Coach Hal Humme (above) and his Wildcats AP |
SOMERSET, Kentucky (AP) -- Kentucky football player Jason Watts will
be charged with second-degree manslaughter and drunken driving, a
prosecutor said Tuesday.
The charges stem from a Sunday morning truck crash that killed
two others Watt's teammate Arthur Steinmetz and Christopher Scott
Brock, a student at Eastern Kentucky.
Pulaski County Attorney Fred Neikirk said a criminal summons was
issued, ordering Watts to appear in Pulaski District Court on December
17. At that time, he will formally be charged with two counts of
second-degree manslaughter and one count of drunken driving,
Neikirk said.
Watts is not being arrested, Neikirk said. The manslaughter
charges are felonies, meaning Watts' case likely will be waived to
a grand jury for possible indictment, Neikirk said.
Watts' blood-alcohol content was 0.15, Neikirk said. The level
at which a driver is presumed intoxicated is 0.10.
The senior, the Wildcats' starting center, was seriously injured
when his pickup went out of control and overturned. Watts and the
victims were thrown from the vehicle.
Watts was in fair condition at Lexington's University of
Kentucky Medical Center with a 12-inch gash in his right arm. Watts
underwent a second surgery Tuesday at the University of Kentucky
Medical Center to clean the wound.
Dr. James Lovett, a plastic surgeon at the hospital, said the
procedure would be repeated Wednesday.
Kentucky returned to practice Tuesday for the first time since
the crash. Coach Hal Mumme refused to comment when asked about the
charges.
Asked later about the team's alcohol policy, Mumme responded
angrily, "What part of `no' don't you understand?"
The university issued a blanket "no comment" on the charges on
behalf of Kentucky players and instructed reporters not to question
players about the latest development.
"With this becoming a legal matter, we will not make any
further comment on the issue," Kentucky athletics director C.M.
Newton said in a statement. "Our best wishes and prayers continue
to be with the families affected by this tragedy."
Brock was a childhood friend of Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch.
Couch said practice was a welcome distraction.
"I thought we were really focused," he said. "I think it was
good for all of us to get focused."
Mumme said the session went well.
"I think we threw one incomplete pass," he said. "I expected
it to be really bad."
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