Pahrump, NV (AP) - An Arizona man who was arrested after a head-on crash on a Nye County highway that killed three members of an Idaho family will face felony driving under the influence charges that could put him in prison for decades.
Tyler Kennedy, 32, of Tolleson, Arizona, is due to face a judge next Monday for a preliminary hearing of evidence in the March 27 crash that killed Michael Durmeier, 39, his fiancee Lauren Starcevich, 38, and Durmeier’s 12-year-old daughter, Georgia.
Two children in their vehicle, ages 10 and 6, were injured in the crash while they headed from Victor, Idaho, to the Grand Canyon for a family vacation, Nye County District Attorney Chris Arabia said.
The judge will determine if Kennedy will face trial in state court on charges that could get him decades in prison.
NHP said Kennedy was driving north in a a 1998 Ford F-150 pickup that crossed the center line and slammed into a 2011 Toyota Highlander headed south on U.S. 95 near Scotty’s Junction.
Kennedy told troopers he swerved to avoid an animal in the roadway.
Arabia said the DUI counts were added to multiple felony charges of reckless driving.