LUFKIN — What started in Trinity County as a case of a runaway teen ended with two-vehicle crash in Lufkin that claimed the life of a Lufkin ISD teacher.
Morgan Wright, 40, of Pollock, died after her vehicle collided with a Chevrolet pickup, reportedly driven by Levi Simmons, at around 1 p.m. Monday.
Prior to the wreck, Trinity County law enforcement reported that Simmons ran away from his home in the Helmic-Apple Springs area in a stolen Chevrolet truck.
According to reports, Lufkin Police identified the truck near the Lufkin Mall on South First Street and began to follow it. The 16-year-old led police on a chase from the mall, north into downtown. As the pursuit continued, the truck entered downtown and headed down Third Street.
At the intersection of Third and Frank streets, the stolen truck collided with a Ford Explorer traveling west on Frank Street, driven by Wright, who was airlifted to a hospital in Tyler and passed away later that day.
The 16-year-old driver was released from a Lufkin hospital Monday afternoon and is currently being held in the Angelina County Juvenile Detention Center.
Texas Department of Public Safety is conducting a criminal investigation and will determine the appropriate charges on the juvenile.
As customary in which a pursuit results in the death of any person, Lufkin Police have begun an internal affairs investigation.
The accident had the intersection shut down, as it knocked out the traffic light.
•Early on Sunday morning, 17-year-old driver Austin Clinard led police on a chase that covered about 100 miles, going through Trinity, Houston, Polk and Tyler counties and was finally stopped in Hardin County just outside Kountze.
According to police reports, Clinard allegedly was dodging and weaving spike strips while running from the Trinity Police Department and eventually stopped when the wheels of the vehicle disintegrated.
Clinard was taken into custody and charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon, a misdemeanor, and evading arrest or detention with a vehicle, a state jail felony.
No injuries were reported.
Assisting in the pursuit were the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Highway Patrol, the Houston County Sheriff’s Office and various other agencies.
•Also on Sunday morning, a semi truck northbound on Highway 19, driven by Brian Allen Murphy Jr., 34, of Tyler, collided with a Toyota RAV 4 driven south on 19 by Faith Cleveland, 23, of Huntsville.
Police reports indicate that the SUV swerved into the southbound lane, and the collision, which occurred near the intersection of Highway 94, caused major damage to both vehicles.
No injuries were reported, but the road was shut down for approximately 3 hours to remove the semi and clean up debris.
Cleveland was cited for failure to maintain lanes.
