Drugged driving leads to charge for fatal Saturday wreck

A manslaughter charge was filed Wednesday against a Lawton man accused of causing a fatal Saturday wreck due to drugged driving.

James Wolf Walker, 50, made his initial appearance in Comanche County District Court where he received a felony charge of first-degree manslaughter and a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of drugs, records indicate. The felony is punishable by between four years to life in prison.

Walker was driving a Ford 5-150 pickup when a collision occurred with a Chevrolet Impala at 8:54 p.m. Saturday on U.S. 277, a ½-mile east of Northeast Kleeman Road that killed the Hart who was driving the Impala, Trooper Cory Byrne reported.

Walker was driving southbound on U.S. 277 and Hart was traveling northbound when Walker went left of center and drove over the top of the Impala’s driver side, the probable cause affidavit states. During the collision, Walker’s front left quarter-panel was ripped from the truck, went through the Impala’s window and struck and killed Hart, according to Byrne.

After consenting to a blood draw, Walker told the trooper he wouldn’t pass the test due to taking narcotics earlier in the evening, the affidavit states. He said the last thing he remembered before the wreck was looking at his cell phone before realizing he was upside down, Byrne stated.

Walker was treated and released from Comanche County Memorial Hospital with head and internal trunk injuries before being booked into the Comanche County Detention Center, according to the affidavit.

Held on $100,000 bond with the stipulation he shall not drive any vehicle, Walker returns to court at 3 p.m. April 1 for his preliminary hearing conference, records indicate.