UPDATED: Tenn. man dies in southern Whitley County crash; driver captured, charged with reckless homicide

Investigators study the scene of a fatal crash in southern Whitley County Wednesday.

A Williamsburg woman is being held in the Whitley County Detention Center in lieu of a $250,000 cash bond on charges connected to a fatal accident Wednesday morning.

Whitley District Judge Fred White entered a not guilty plea for Donnetta Bell, 22, of 66 Little Wolf Creek Road, during her arraignment Thursday morning on charges of reckless homicide, failure to render aid and leaving the scene of an accident.

White appointed the public advocate’s office to represent Bell, scheduled an Aug. 5 preliminary hearing in her case, and set a $250,000 cash bond, which will also require her to wear an ankle-monitoring device if she posts bond.

"She’s a flight risk, and she’s also a danger" to the public, White noted during Thursday’s hearing.

Whitley County Sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Lennon arrested Bell about 11:34 p.m. Wednesday serving her with an arrest warrant in connection with a single vehicle accident about 13 hours earlier that claimed the life of John Edmond Faulkner II, 45, of Lafollette.

Whitley County Coroner Andy Croley pronounced Faulkner dead at the scene about 10:50 a.m. Wednesday from multiple injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident.

No autopsy was ordered, but a toxicology test will be done on Faulkner’s blood.

Croley said this is due to the accident being a fatality and the driver disappearing from the scene.

Authorities believe that Bell was driving at the time of the accident.

The accident happened about 10:23 a.m. Wednesday about six miles south of Williamsburg on US25W near Saxton.

Lennon, who is the lead investigating officer, said it appears that the 2001 Mercury Marquis was northbound on US25W when the wreck occurred.

"We have a witness, who said it pulled out, passed a car, and came back in its lane of travel," Lennon said. "It appears to have lost control. It went through the southbound lane and slid off the roadway on the southbound side."

Croley said that the vehicle struck a tree sideways on Faulkner’s side of the vehicle, which resulted in him sustaining serious injuries.

The vehicle then went another 39 feet down the embankment before coming to rest, he said.

Emlyn Volunteer Fire Chief Matt Witt said that after the vehicle was brought back up the embankment it took his firefighters about 15 minutes to free the victim’s trapped body from inside the vehicle.

Faulkner died instantly in the crash despite wearing his seatbelt and the vehicle’s airbags deploying.

Croley said he doesn’t think it would have made a difference in terms of Faulkner’s injuries if the driver hadn’t fled the scene.

Croley said he doesn’t know why Faulkner was in Whitley County and that the matter is still under investigation.

Lennon was assisted at the scene by Chief Deputy K.Y. Fuson, Sgt. Jeff Anderson, Deputy Todd Shelley, Kentucky State Police Trooper Ryan Loudermilk, Constable Jim Thornton, the Whitley County Coroner’s Office, the Williamsburg Police Department, Whitley County EMS and members of the Pleasant View, Emlyn and South Whitley volunteer fire departments.