NEW BOSTON, Texas-A man who shot a fellow motorist last year while traveling on Interstate 30 in Bowie County was sentenced to 15 years in prison Thursday by a Bowie County jury.
William Calvin Crunk, 64, fired a single bullet from a .357 revolver April 15, 2017, through the door of the rented red Hyundai Sonata being driven by 57-year-old Forcie Wyrick as the two traveled through rural Bowie County. Wyrick testified that he had no idea why Crunk shot him.
Wyrick was driving to his home in Magnolia, Ark., after dropping his daughter at Love Field in Dallas. Wyrick called 911 and reported Crunk's location via mile markers as he followed him for approximately 20 miles down the highway at high speeds. Wyrick was met by an ambulance at a highway truck stop and taken to a Texarkana hospital for treatment.
"I wondered if he was driving down the highway shooting people and I just happened to be one of them," Wyrick testified.
Wyrick's left tricep was gouged by the bullet and his rib cage injured after the bullet passed through the Hyundai's door. Wyrick and members of law enforcement testified that if the bullet was not slowed by the car door, Wyrick could have suffered fatal injuries.
Crunk was stopped by officers with three local law enforcement agencies: Bowie County Sheriff's Office; Hooks, Texas, Police Department and Nash, Texas, Police Department. Crunk's only statement after being pulled from the Kia at gunpoint was that he didn't shoot anyone.
After being told that he had hit another driver, Crunk never asked about the man's condition and offered no explanation for his behavior. Crunk was heard talking to his two dogs on a dash camera video played for the jury. The loaded .357 was recovered from the Kia's passenger seat and a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic pistol was found in the glove box. A bottle of peach brandy was recovered from the front seat area and officers testified Crunk smelled of alcohol.
While Crunk refused to give a statement to investigators following his arrest, he testified Wednesday that Wyrick, whom he had never met before, was driving aggressively. Crunk claimed he could not call 911 because his cellphone battery was dead and he didn't have a working charger.
Crunk testified he was driving from his home in DeSoto, Texas, to property in Ben Lomand, Ark., which had been left to him by his grandparents.
Assistant District Attorneys Kelley Crisp and Lauren Richards argued that Crunk's claims were incredulous and that even if Wyrick had cut Crunk off, it did not warrant the use of potentially deadly force. Crunk's lawyer, Derric McFarland of Texarkana, asked the jury to sentence Crunk to probation, citing his lack of prior criminal history and committment to his family.
Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon is punishable by two to 20 years in prison. Crunk was eligible to receive probation because he has never before been convicted of a felony. Crunk could have received probation if the jury sentenced him to 10 or fewer years and recommended a suspended sentence.
The jury was placed in an evening recess Wednesday by 102nd District Judge Bobby Lockhart and returned to court Friday morning to continue deliberations. Crunk was taken into custody after the verdict was announced and will be held in the Bowie County jail until he can be transported to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Crunk must serve at least 50 percent of his term before becoming parole eligible because a deadly weapon was used.
"Our sensibility, as law-abiding citizens, is offended when a motorist on our interstate highway opens fire randomly on another driver," Crisp said. "We are thankful that the jury agreed and deemed William Crunk's behavior sufficiently unacceptable as to merit a sentence of 15 years imprisonment. This verdict recognizes the danger presented by behavior of this type and, in our view, correctly rejects probation as an appropriate punishment."