Ariton teen to be tried in juvenile court for Coach Horne’s death
An Ariton teenager who authorities said failed to yield the right-of-way in the wreck that killed Dale County High School football coach Todd Horne will face charges in juvenile court for criminally negligent homicide.
Dale County District Attorney Kirke Adams said a grand jury decided the boy will be tried in juvenile court after testimony from 10 witnesses.
The boy’s sentence will now be left up to a juvenile court judge, although Adams said the state would not seek any criminal detention for the crime.
Horne died after a wreck on U.S. 231 in Ozark this summer when the 2005 GMC truck he was driving collided with the 1974 Chevrolet C10 pickup that the boy drove off Camilla Avenue.
Ozark police said the boy failed to yield the right-of-way.
Four other coaches in Horne’s vehicle - Chad McKnight, Wesley Locke, Matt Phillips and Drew Danner - were injured in the wreck, but neither the teen nor the passenger in his vehicle was injured, according to initial reports.
Because he will be tried as a juvenile, the boy’s name was not released.
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Reader Reactions
No one REALLY knows what happened that day. So how does anyone know that it was the boy’s fault? What if it wasn’t? Remember…things aren’t always what they seem….
HELLO IT’S ME AGAIN.I JUST WANT TO SAY IS I AGREE WITH YOU BAMAJIM YOU ARE TELLING IT LIKE IT IS!I,ALSO,AS WELL AS ALOT OF PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE ANSWERS YOU ASKED.IS OZARK AUTHORITIES COVERING UP FOR SOMEONE ON THE INSIDE AND WHO IS IT? YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE NOT FOREVER ANYHOW!! I,ALSO,AGREE WITH DEDE ABOUT AN ACCIDENT IS JUST THAT AN ACCIDENT!IT WAS A VERY TRAGIC ONE AND WILL NOT BRING COACH HORNE BACK TO BE WITH HIS FAMILY!BUT IT IS NOT LIKE THE BOY SAID OK,I’M GONNA DO THIS ON PURPOSE.SO THAT MAKES IT AN ACCIDENT!I’M SURE EVERYBODY OUT THERE THAT HAS DRIVEN A CAR PULLED OUT AND DID NOT SEE THE OTHER CAR RIGHT UNTIL THEY ARE RIGHT UPON AND YOU SWERVE TO AVOID A COLLISION AND THEN YOU STARTED SHAKING BECAUSE YOU REALIZE HOW CLOSE IT CAME TO BE AN ACCIDENT.I SAY PRAYERS FOR ALL THAT IS INVOLVED!MAY GOD HELPED THEM ALL AS I KNOW HE WILL!GOD BLESS!
What has happened to our world today.Used to you read about people being killed in a accident and now days you read about people being charged for a accident that killed someone.Don’t get me wrong if someone purposley kills someone or is drunk and driving and kills someone then yes they should be charged.But I thought the reason they were called accidents is because thats what it was an ACCIDENT!
The boy’s brakes did not go out. He stopped at the stop sign, he did not run it. His truck was in very good working order. His parents had just rebuilt his truck from the ground up for Christmas last year. The only thing on that truck that was original was the frame and the cab, everything else was new. He did not INTENTIONALLY do anything wrong. This is a very good kid who was in an ACCIDENT, and is now very scared of what may happen to him.
What a shame. You break the law, you have broken the law. Who is to say the young man did not have some mechanicaal problem with his vehicle. However this was a coach, not just 2 dumb teenage girls from dothan, whose lives don’t mean crap to the elite of the great city of ozark and the great ozark police department who tried to pin a murder on an innocent person. Why hasn’t the truth come out on this case. Is it because of who was involved. By the way. DON’T GO SPPEDING IN OZARK. THEY CAN CATCH YOU THEN, BUT NOT FOR MURDER.
This accident was a terrible ordeal very tragic for all! My heart and prayers go out to all the families!Isn’t it strange that Coach Horne was accidentally(my opinion and I don’t know whole story)killed by a young person( AGE 16 SO YOUNG) and the young people are the ones especially were around the coach was taught,love and helped took under his wing.Who is to say if Coach Horne did have on his seat belt that he would still be alive today!I just don’t know but I have got to ask HOW and WHY? IF THE YOUNG BOY DID NOT YIELD(and I thought their is/was a stop there.NOT YIELD!!I keep hearing and reading that the Ariton teen failed to yield the right of way??The teen was coming down the steep little hill(am I right?)that means he would be coming right on to 231 and that just would not be the place to run a stop sign.It seems to me that anyone(I may be wrong!)would stop at the stop sign cause it is right there at 231 and if you don’t stop then there is a great chance that you are going to be broadsided by a vehicle.So,with saying that! JUST ASKING AND FEEL COMPELLED TO ASK.Could it be POSSIBLE that the boy’s BRAKES WENT OUT!!??His truck was a 1974? 10 witness’?? To what? Him running a stop sign??Please correct if I AM WRONG? But just for asking I am not!ISN’T THAT A STOP SIGN???I DO NOT KNOW NONE OF THESE PEOPLE!(1)But I have a 16 yr old(2)Coach Horne from what I understand loved the kids!He would probaly would help this young man if he was here today!(3)I’m sure the teen and his family have suffered also and if the teen has any kind of feelings(I AM NOT JUDGING JUST KNOW THAT IT WAS A TERRIBLE FREAKY TRAGEDY)He has to feel remorseful and it will be with him til the day he passes on.DID THE BRAKES/MECHANICAL FAILURE GO OUT?? DID THE BOY RUN THE STOP SIGN AND GO BARGING RIGHT ON TO 231 TO TAKE A CHANCE OF GETTING KILLED HIMSELF??? Last but not least for Coach Horne to be a fine man has he is, you know that his WIFE IS VERY SPECIAL AND SO ARE THEIR TWO BOYS!I KNOW THAT GOD WILL LOOK AFTER THEM BECAUSE OF HIM BEING TAKEN AWAY.THIS HAS BEEN ON MY MIND AND I WAS JUST WONDERING AND FELT THE NEED TO SAY SOMETHING.Please understand that I do not know the facts so do not judge my questioning for that is THE GOOD LORD’S JOB!! AMEN TAFFY
Although the teen was responsible, don’t let the fact that the coach was not wearing a seatbelt go un-noticed. We are just as at-fault when we don’t wear a seatbelt when the law says we must. Had some of the coaches had been wearing a seatbelt he/they probably would be alive or not as seriously injured today. Sad incident all the way around.
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