An Ashdown, Ark., man with a lengthy history of drunken driving was recently indicted for two counts of murder in connection with a fatal crash that took two lives on a Bowie County, Texas, highway earlier this year.
Isiah Williams, 67, allegedly had a blood alcohol level of .216 when he slammed his Ford F-150 pickup into a tree along Interstate 30 near the 186 mile marker shortly after 5 p.m. Feb. 2, according to a probable cause affidavit used to create the following account. Jimmie Gant, 62, of Ashdown, and Kathy Brown, 59, of Texarkana, Texas, were passengers in Williams' truck and died in the one-vehicle wreck.
Last month, a Bowie County grand jury indicted Williams for two counts of felony murder and felony driving while intoxicated. Court records show Williams had at least five prior DWI convictions at the time of the wreck.
A person can be charged with murder if a death results while a different felony offense, such as felony driving while intoxicated, is being committed. Court records in Arkansas show Williams was arrested April 8, 2016, for DWI fifth offense in Miller County. He pleaded guilty June 14, 2016, and received a four-year prison term and one year suspended sentence.
Williams was then arrested again May 16, 2013, for DWI fourth offense in Miller County. According to a probable cause affidavit in that case, Williams was driving erratically and stopped in the middle of the road. When asked to perform field sobriety tests, Williams claimed to have had a stroke and began dragging his left foot and would not use his left arm. During the booking process at the jail, the arresting officer noted that Williams used both hands while filling out jail paperwork and walked normally.
Williams pleaded guilty July 28, 2014, to DWI fourth offense in Miller County and received a four-year term with a transfer to a community corrections program for substance abuse possible and two years suspended imposition of sentence. According to notes in that case, Williams had been previously arrested for DWI Sept. 1, 2012; Sept. 14, 2012; and Dec. 8, 2012, in Little River County, Ark.
In the most recent case, Williams allegedly was traveling eastbound on I-30 when he veered off the roadway, crossed across a large grassy area and a ditch before striking a tree. Both of Williams' passengers died at the scene. The rear passenger was partially ejected through the windshield. Williams was transported by helicopter to CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System.
"Williams later stated the rear passenger was intoxicated and became angry leaning forward grabbing the steering wheel," the affidavit states. "The speedometer was locked on 63 miles per hour and the driver stated he had the cruise control set on 65 miles per hour. The distance from the time the vehicle left the roadway until impact with the tree would have given a person who was not impaired more than ample time to brake."
According to the affidavit, there was no evidence Williams attempted to use his brakes before the collision.
Williams is being held in the Bowie County jail. If convicted of felony DWI, Williams faces two to 10 years in prison. Williams faces five to 99 years or life in prison on each of the two counts of murder. The case is assigned to 102nd District Judge Bobby Lockhart. Williams is expected to appear in court later this month for arraignment.