Florence,AL : ATV driver indicted for fatal wreck on January, Monday 29th 2018

A Lauderdale County man has been indicted in connection with a September ATV wreck that killed one person and injured another.

Ryan T. Johnson, 19, 243 Lauderdale 448, Lexington, has been indicted for manslaughter and two counts of first-degree assault.

Investigators said Johnson turned himself in Monday.

The indictment was issued during last week’s session of the Lauderdale County grand jury.

Reports indicate Johnson was the driver of an ATV that crashed during the early morning hours of Sept. 16 in a field near Rogersville.

Officials with the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department said Jackson Samuel Newton, 20, died from injuries sustained in the accident that occurred between 3:30 and 4 a.m.

Brooklyn Thompson, 20, of Rogersville, was injured. She was taken to Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital where she was treated for a number of injuries, including several broken bones and a collapsed lung.

Authorities said Thompson is continuing to recover from the accident, which left her without the use of one of her arms.

According to the indictment, it was Johnson’s behavior that contributed to the accident and caused the death of Newton and the injuries to Thompson.

Deputies said Newton and Thompson, along with three others, were riding the Polaris Ranger that turned over in a field.

Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department Investigator James Distefano said all of the people involved in the accident were from the Lexington and Rogersville areas.

He said apparently they were traveling on Lauderdale 86 near the Lauderdale 97 intersection when they decided to turn off the road into a field.

Authorities said once they were in the field the ATV flipped.

"And it fell on Newton," Distefano said.

All of the charges are Class B felonies, which are punishable by 2-20 years in prison, if convicted.

Johnson is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 28 by Lauderdale County Circuit Judge Gil Self.

He is out of jail on bail totaling $50,000.

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ATV driver indicted for fatal wreck