Louisiana Man Charged in Fatal Smith County Wreck

TYLER – A Shreveport, Louisiana man has been charged in a fatal Smith County accident. Adam Jay Hotaling (pictured), 27, has been charged with intoxication manslaughter and booked into the Smith County Jail. His bond was set at $60,000. He is charged in the accident that killed Jerry Howell, 36, of Tyler. A passenger in his car, Wendy Howell, 38, of Tyler, is in stable condition at Tyler’s East Texas Medical Center. Hotaling suffered minor injuries in the crash. The Department of Public Safety says Hotaling’s pickup left the road and the driver over corrected. The pickup then ended up in the west bound lane where it collided head-on with the Howell vehicle. The crash was reported shortly after 6:45 Sunday evening on Highway 31 East, 8 miles west of Kilgore.