An 18-year-old man whose car fatally crashed into another driver on State Route 56 earlier this month has now been booked into county jail, California Highway Patrol officials confirmed Thursday night.
On May 16 at around 9:45 a.m., Timothy Barnette (pictured below) was driving a Land Rover traveling eastbound on SR-56, just east of Black Mountain Road, when his car drifted into the center median and into opposing traffic lanes of westbound SR-56.
At the same time, Nick Hart, 22, was driving a Toyota traveling westbound on SR-56.
Barnette’s Land Rover struck Hart’s car, and Hart was killed in the crash. Hart was a graduate of Poway High School, where he competed on the Titans wrestling team.
According to CHP officials, Barnette was arrested after the fatal collision on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs. He was then released to a local hospital for immediate care because he suffered major injuries in the crash.
The CHP would not say what kind of drugs Barnette was allegedly using on the day of the collision, as the case is still under investigation.
On Thursday, two weeks to the day of the fatal crash, CHP officials confirmed he had been arrested and booked into jail on charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence of a controlled substance causing injury or death.
CHP officer Jake Sanchez told NBC 7 Barnette is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.
