A Butler man faces charges in connection with a February wreck that claimed the life of a Roan Mountain man.
On Sunday, Carter County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Michael Malone arrested Jerry Ray Oaks, 34, of 250 Piercetown Road, Butler, on an indictment charging him with vehicular homicide by intoxication and driving on a revoked license. Oaks was booked into the Carter County Detention Center where he remains held on a $50,000 bond.
The charges against Oaks stem from a two-vehicle collision on February 13. The driver of the other vehicle in the crash, 47-year-old Viencen Hitechew, of Roan Mountain, died in the accident.
The accident happened around 11:20 p.m. that night on State Route 362 — locally known as Mary Patton Highway or “the new Gap Creek Road,” — near the intersection of the highway and Jim Elliott Road according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
In his initial report on the crash, THP Trooper Brad Proffitt said preliminary evidence indicated that Oaks was driving under the influence at the time of the crash. Proffitt had Oaks sent for testing to determine if any alcohol or drugs were present in his system at the time of the accident.
According to Proffitt, Oaks was driving a 2007 Jeep Commander northbound in the southbound lane of Highway 362. Oaks’ SUV struck the 2009 Lexus driven by Hitechew head-on, Proffitt said.
After the two vehicles collided, Proffitt said both vehicles became “fully engulfed in flames.”
Oaks is scheduled to appear in Carter County Criminal Court on Nov. 21 for arraignment on the charges against him.