A 20-year-old Cleveland man, Justin Ray Whitton Jr., is charged with Manslaughter stemming from a May 14, 2018, accident that claimed the life of a Splendora woman.
Whitton was arrested Monday, Oct. 15, by Liberty County sheriff’s deputies on a warrant that resulted from a four-month investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Whitton is being held in the Liberty County Jail.
On the morning of May 14, around 10:46 a.m., Whitton was traveling southbound on FM 1010 about one mile south of Cleveland when he veered his 2008 Chevrolet pickup into the northbound lane of traffic to avoid striking a vehicle that was stopped in the road as it made a right-hand turn. Whitton veered into oncoming traffic and hit a 2017 Kia Forte that was driven by Cheryl Bruce Turney, 51, of Splendora.
Turney was killed in the impact. Pct. 6 Justice of the Peace Ralph Fuller made the pronouncement of death at the scene.
Whitton was not seriously injured and was released.
According to DPS Sgt. Rob Willoughby, Whitton was not under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time of the crash.
However, he was indicted by a Liberty County Grand jury for the crash.
By Vanesa Brashier, editor@BluebonnetNews.com