Texas Man Arrested in Arkansas Over Casino Parking Lot Accident Resulting in Death

A Texas man was arrested late on Saturday, September 19, and charged with negligent homicide after a woman he hit with his truck in the Oaklawn parking lot later died at a local hospital.

Identified as Matthew Charles Lewis, 37, who is from Freeport, Texas, the man has also been charged with misdemeanor counts of driving while intoxicated, as well as refusing to submit to testing.

Negligent Homicide and Refusal to Submit to Sobriety Testing

Lewis has already appeared in court on Monday in Garland County District Court and, if convicted, he is facing up to 20 years behind bars on the negligent homicide charge alone. The incident took place around 11:50 pm on Saturday.

The responding officer on the scene reported that Lewis was sitting next to his maroon Dodge Ram pickup. Lewis had watery, red, bloodshot eyes and a “strong odor” of alcohol.

He told the officer that he never saw the woman. Lewis was confronted about his drinking, to which he responded that he had only had one beer.

He was then asked to perform a test gauging how much alcohol he had in his system, but Lewis refused to submit to any testing.

Lewis continued to refuse blood tests as well as a breath sample. Eventually, a warrant was obtained, and Lewis submitted to blood testing.

Lewis was eventually released on a $30,000 bond, cash or surety. A review date has not yet been set, and the results of the blood test have not been publicly reported as of Tuesday, September 22.