Woman Arrested Months After Fatal East Texas DWI Crash

A woman has been arrested for a fatal crash that took place in East Texas after records show that she was driving while intoxicated. According to CBS 19, the woman has been charged with criminally negligent homicide in connection to a crash that took place on January 14 that left an 86-year-old woman from Arp, Texas deceased.

How the Fatal Crash Happened

Arrest records show that on January 14 around 2:37 p.m. a red pickup was headed north on State Highway 64 to turn left on County Road 294 near Lake Tyler East.

As the pickup slowed down, a 2010 Lexus RX350 was traveling north behind the pickup. The driver of the Lexus failed to slow down in time and veered into a ditch. The Lexus then pulled back onto State Highway 64, then the Lexus crashed into a 2011 Kia Sorento heading south.

READ MORE: Longview Man Gets Life for Third DWI Conviction

Witnesses Describe the Moments Before Impact

A witness told Texas DPS investigators that she saw that the driver of the Lexus was not paying attention and was still traveling around 75 to 80 mph when the driver noticed the pickup slowing to turn.

The DPS investigators also spoke with the driver of the red pickup who said he saw the Lexus "flying" toward his truck in the rearview mirror. He reported that the Lexus driver was slamming on the brakes but was still going too fast to avoid his pickup, so they swerved around it.

The pickup driver also had a dashcam video that he showed to DPS investigators for evidence.

When the Lexus hit the Kia, the collision took the life of 86-year-old Edith Ann Starkes of Arp. The driver of the Lexus was identified as 33-year-old Ashaunti Ahmee Njie. Njie was seriously injured in the crash and taken to a local hospital.

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What Investigators Found

At the hospital, test records confirmed that Njie had drugs in her system which could have impaired her driving, causing sleepiness, sedation, or relaxation.

Njie was arrested on Friday, July 24 for criminally negligent homicide in connection with Starkes’ death. Njie was booked into the Smith County Jail but released after posting bonds the following day.