Teen driver charged with ‘intoxication manslaughter’ after 6 family members killed in head-on collision – Law Officer

JOHNSON COUNTY, Texas – A Texas teen is facing serious charges after he was reportedly driving under the influence of THC when he smashed into oncoming traffic on a highway, killing six of seven family members inside a minivan in December.

Luke Garrett Resecker was 17-years-old when the crash occurred the day after Christmas, but has since turned 18. He appeared before Johnson County District Court Judge Sydney Hewlett last Tuesday, where he was arraigned on six counts of “intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle,” two counts of intoxication assault, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of marijuana, court records reviewed by Law&Crime revealed.

According to the preliminary crash report obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Resecker was traveling southwest on U.S. 67 near near County Road 1119 just outside of Cleburne in a white Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck.

Resecker’s vehicle veered over the double yellow line of the undivided highway and he began driving into oncoming traffic traveling northeast on Dec. 26, 2023.

A gray Honda Odyssey minivan occupied by seven people attempted unsuccessfully to swerve out of the path of Resecker’s truck. As a result, the vehicles collided head-on and abruptly came to a stop on the roadway.

Six people in the Odyssey were killed. They were identified by Texas DPS as Rushil Barri, 28; Nageswararao Ponnada, 64; Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, 60; Naveena Potabathula, 36; Krithik Potabathula, 10; and Nishidha Potabathula, 9.

A seventh individual in the Odyssey, Lokesh Potabathula, 43, was hospitalized in critical condition and has not regained movement in his lower extremities. Among those killed in the crash were his wife, the couple’s children, along with his wife’s parents and a cousin, KDFW reported.

The Potabathula family recently moved from Plano, Texas to Alpharetta, Georgia and were visiting North Texas during the holiday break.

Resecker, of Glen Rose, and a passenger in his truck survived the collision and were airlifted to local hospitals. Resecker was initially listed in critical condition. His condition has improved, although a DPS spokesman said he was still not “medically fit” to be booked into jail. Hence, he subsequently posted a $50,000 bond and has GPS monitored home confinement conditions, reported The Dallas Morning News.

An arrest affidavit says that 17-year-old Preston Glass, also from Glen Rose, suffered severe injuries to the head, causing him to be mentally impaired.

Following the crash, investigators recovered THC wax, a THC vape pen, and marijuana from inside Resecker’s truck, according to KDFW.

During the follow-up investigation, authorities obtained a blood sample from Resecker. It tested positive for the presence of THC at the time of the six-person fatality, thus leading to the listed charges.

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