Crime & Safety

Blow-Out Possibly Caused Deadly Crash

A blown-out tire may have caused a crash that killed an 9-year-old girl and landed her mother in jail.

A blown-out tire possibly caused that killed and landed her mother in jail.

Karen Faye Honeycutt with murder and gross vehicular manslaughter in January after she crashed the family’s jeep, killing her daughter, 9-year-old Chloe Honeycutt, in Redhawk.

the jeep was driving “very fast” east on Vail Ranch Parkway when it fishtailed, sending it skidding east while facing north, according to testimony on Friday.

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The jeep slammed into a tree and a light pole in the center divider, ejecting Chloe and her 17-year-old half-brother, Charles “Tre” Williams. Chloe’s then 8-year-old brother, , was also in the car. He was the only person wearing a seatbelt and suffered only minor injuries.

They were rushed to a hospital, where Chloe died of blunt force trauma, according to sheriff’s officials.

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It looked as though one of the jeep’s tires blew out just before the crash, at least one witness told investigators.

“I know there was some baldness on the tires,” said sheriff’s Deputy Daniel Hoctor during a hearing on Friday. “It could happen.”

The mother after deputies found an open beer can in the jeep, about a dozen empty cans at her home and blood tests showed her BAC was .22 percent and had signs of marijuana use.

Honeycutt was driving fast and swerved around a slower-moving car just before the jeep fishtailed, Myles testified on Friday.

Witness accounts agreed, Hoctor said. “She saw the jeep was out of control,” he said recalling another witness’ account.

The mother seemed to feel guilty for the crash immediately afterwards, said sheriff’s Deputy Jennifer Higgins, the first emergency worker on the scene.

She found the mother lying on the floor of the back seat. “She began to cry and said, ‘Oh my God, what have I done?’” Higgins testified.

Karen Honeycutt to all charges.


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