| LC man arraigned on charges of vehicular homicide |
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Posted: Tuesday, October 9, 2012 9:09 pm
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By CHRIS MENEES
Staff Reporter
A Lake County man indicted for vehicular hom-icide in a January fatal traffic crash in Obion County is slated to return to court in November.
Timothy Clark Naifeh appeared for arraignment Monday in Obion County Circuit Court after being indicted last week by a grand jury on six counts of vehicular homicide.
Naifeh, who is out on bond, was reported to have appeared in court for arraignment with an attorney and his brother, who serves as his conservator. A court report date of Nov. 9 at 9:30 a.m. was set for his case, Obion County Circuit Court Clerk Harry Johnson said.
He was among several suspects arraigned Monday in Circuit Court following last week’s grand jury indictments for the October term.
The charges against Naifeh stem from a three-vehicle accident that occurred Jan. 7 on Highway 21 near Hornbeak. Three people — Jack L. Bell, 81, and his wife, Sue E. Bell, 81, of Kenton and their son, 51-year-old David C. Bell of Forsyth, Ga. — died as a result of the crash.
Although the accident involved three deaths, Naifeh was indicted for six counts of vehicular homicide because there are two types of vehicular homicide, according to Assistant District Attorney Jim Cannon. He explained one type involves alleged driving under the influence and the other involves alleged reckless driving, so an indictment for both types offers a jury a choice when rendering a verdict.
After the accident, the Tennessee Highway Patrol reported David Bell was driving west on Highway 21 in a 2004 Buick Regal LS about 4:40 p.m. when an eastbound 2003 Chevrolet pickup driven by 52-year-old Naifeh apparently crossed the center line, striking the Bell vehicle on the left front and going down the full length of the car before colliding head-on with a westbound 2004 Ford pickup driven by Constance Kelly Fisher, 40, of Obion.
David Bell and his mother were both pronounced dead at the scene, while Jack Bell and Naifeh, also seriously injured, were both airlifted to Regional Medical Center in Memphis for treatment of injuries. Jack Bell died there a few days later.
A third passenger in the Bell vehicle, 15-year-old Jonathan Bell of Forsyth, identified as David Bell’s son and the elder Bells’ grandson, as well as Ms. Fisher and her passenger, 16-year-old Dillon Fisher of Obion, were not injured, according to the THP report.
Naifeh is a former county attorney, city attorney and road commission board attorney in Lake County, according to sources there.
Published in The Messenger 10.9.12 |
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