JAY, Okla. (AP) - An Oklahoma motorist who prosecutors say was distracted by his cellphone when his vehicle struck a state transportation superintendent will stand trial on a charge of first-degree manslaughter.
Prosecutor Nick Lelecas told the Tulsa World that testimony during a preliminary hearing last week included allegations that 38-year-old Robert Dryden Smith told law enforcement officers that he was distracted from driving in May 2016 because his phone kept making noises.
Authorities say Smith’s vehicle struck 47-year-old Jarrell Gray west of Jay, in Delaware County. Gray, the father of three sons, was a superintendent for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
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He was supervising brush removal in a construction zone along state Highway 20 when he was struck.
Smith is free on bail. A phone listing could not be found for him.
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Information from: Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.com
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