The now 27-year-old man who was the driver in a March 19, 2014, highway accident which claimed the lives of two prominent Rockdale business people is headed back to prison.
Robie Lee Lawhon was found to have violated his shock probation last week in 20th District Court and he was sentenced to serve a seven-year prison term on his original manslaughter conviction.
Prosecutor Bill Torrey said probation violation allegations involved a public intoxication charge and failure to perform required community service duties.
Lawhon was the driver in the four-vehicle collision just east of Rockdale which claimed the lives of Wayne and Margie Brinkley.
He had been released on shock probation on March 28, 2017, after serving a 180-day prison sentence.
DEATHS—The Brinkleys died when their eastbound sports utility vehicle was in a “near head-on” collision with a westbound pickup driven by Barbara Avery of Milano.
The DPS concluded a westbound pickup driven by Law-hon had struck the Avery vehicle, pushing it into the eastbound lane where the collision with the Brinkley SUV occurred.
Prosecutor Bill Torrey said the state maintained that Lawhon was attempting to pass the Avery vehicle on the right, when it struck the pickup, triggering the crash which claimed the lives of Wayne, 67, and Margie, 69.
The Brinkleys, who had been involved in business developments throughout Rockdale for over three decades, were on their way to Caldwell
A fourth vehicle, a car driven by Esteban Vasquez of Bryan, took evasive action, went into a roadside ditch and was struck by the Brinkley vehicle.
Mrs. Avery and her passenger, Ian Avery, sustained serious injuries and were treated at Scott & White Hospital in Temple.
Lawhon, passenger George Tovar of Rockdale, Vasquez and passenger Alejandra Ibarra of Rockdale, were all either treated at the scene or refused treatment, the DPS said.
DPS Sgt. David Yarbrough said all persons involved in the crash were wearing seat belts.
DEVELOPERS—The Brinkleys’ Waymar Plaza was a landmark development that included the former HEB super market building, now targeted to house Little River Health Care’s Rockdale clinics.
Their developments also included Rockdale Building Materials Center, Sonic Drive-In, Cefco-Chicken Express building, about 50 speculative homes, the building that currently houses El Corral Lozano restaurant and apartment complexes at the corners of Cameron (US 79) and Calhoun and Cameron at Summit.
PLEA—Lawhon had appeared Aug. 31, 2015, and pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter.
The shock probation sentence came after the court reviewed a court-0rdered pre-sentence investigation.
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