BENTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Josh Robinson confirmed a man has been arrested in connection to a Garfield crash that killed a 14-year-old boy on Saturday, July 27.
According to a police affidavit, a deputy responded to a crash near Main and Oak Streets in Garfield around noon on July 27. The deputy arrived at a fire station, where he found a young man in critical condition who was in the process of being airlifted to a hospital.
A witness told police they heard a loud crash and approached the scene, where he allegedly saw the driver of a pickup truck, Gregory Payne, standing over the body of a minor while "smelling of alcohol and appearing intoxicated."
At this time, police said Payne told the witness to "put him in my truck" and walked away from the scene of the crash.
The witness then put the injured boy in Payne's truck and drove him to a nearby fire station where he would get medical attention before officials arrived. The witness told police he saw open liquor bottles in the front seat of the truck.
When the minor had been airlifted, the witness and detective then drove back to the scene of the crash where another juvenile told the deputy that Payne's truck hit the minor on the motorbike head-on when they were trying to cross over to the other side of the street.
Payne was reportedly found sitting in a car in his driveway down the road, where he refused to take any field sobriety tests despite "a strong odor of intoxicants, glassed over and watery eyes, and monotone speech," according to the affidavit.
A preliminary report from the Benton County Coroner's Office suggested the child's injuries were consistent with blunt force trauma "as would be received in a crash similar to what was reported." After the coroner's report, police were able to get a search warrant to test Payne's bloodstream, the results of which are pending.
Police said Payne has had at least five prior DWI convictions beginning in 2004.
Gregory Payne was arrested on July 27 and is facing the following charges:
- Driving while intoxicated in the third-degree
- Negligent homicide
- Requirements in accidents involving death
- According to Arkansas law, the driver of a vehicle involved in a crash that results in death must stop
- Driving on a suspended license
- Possessing an open container while operating a vehicle
- Refusal to submit to a chemical test
Payne is being held in the Benton County Jail on a $300,000 bond.
The sheriff's office said they will not reveal the identity of the minor involved in the crash.
According to the Pea Ridge School District, the child attended Pea Ridge Junior High School. Two days after the crash, the district said they had counselors and staff at the junior high to help support students, staff, and the community during this loss.
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