A Ruston man has been charged in a fatal crash near Simsboro on January 15 that killed his infant child and injured seven others.
The Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested Billy Antoine Brown, 31, on a warrant charging him with vehicular homicide and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Louisiana State Police is responsible for the investigation but has released few details about the single-vehicle crash on Interstate 20.
LPSO Lt. Matt Henderson said deputies responded to assist state police about 10:00 p.m. on January 15 and found a Kia automobile occupied by eight people. Seven, including a number of children, were injured and a young child was killed. Brown was identified as the driver of the Kia.
Two of the injured passengers were airlifted to Ochsner/LSU Health Medical Center in Shreveport for treatment.
The eastbound vehicle apparently left the roadway and struck a pile of trees from a right-of-way clearing project and caught fire. The project has been ongoing for several months and entails clearing all trees off the right-of-way from the Tarbutton Road interchange in Ruston to the Lincoln-Bienville Parish line.
Trooper Ryan Davis told the Lincoln Parish Journal on January 17 that LSP was still investigating the cause of the crash. He said the vehicle was eastbound on I-20 and left the roadway and that the release of additional information was not imminent.
LSP did not respond to requests for more information Thursday.
According to records of the Lincoln Parish Clerk of Court, Brown pled guilty in Third District Court to possession with intent to distribute schedule a controlled substance, illegal carrying of weapons, and illegal possession of stolen firearms in September 2020 and sentenced to five years in prison. However, the prison sentence was suspended in lieu of three years on probation. Brown was also convicted of domestic abuse battery on May 7, 2024 and sentenced to one year in prison.
