Johnson County, Texas, USA: A teenager from Texas has been sentenced to 65 years in prison for a devastating 2023 crash that claimed the lives of six Indian-origin individuals. The incident occurred when 19-year-old Luke Garrett Resecker, who was 17 at the time, drove under the influence of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) — the active compound in cannabis — and caused a head-on collision.
The tragic accident took place around 4 p.m. on December 26, 2023, along U.S. Highway 67 near County Road 1119, just south of Cleburne, Texas. According to investigators, an Indian-American family from Georgia was returning home from Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose when Resecker’s vehicle veered into their lane. Law enforcement officers discovered THC in Resecker’s car, and toxicology results confirmed he had the substance in his system at the time of the crash.
Assistant District Attorneys Connor Day and Stephanie Miller, who prosecuted the case in Johnson and Somervell counties, described the crash as “a sobering reminder of how impaired and reckless driving can lead to irreversible tragedy,” as reported by CBS News.
The six victims were identified as Naveena Potabathula (36), Nageswararao Ponnada (64), Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada (60), Krithik Potabathula (10), Nishidha Potabathula (9), and Rushil Barri (28), who was driving the minivan. Barri’s cousin Lokesh, who was visiting from Georgia, was the only survivor but suffered severe spinal injuries that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Tragically, he lost his wife, two children, cousin, and in-laws in the collision.
Resecker’s passenger also sustained a traumatic brain injury in the crash. The teen was charged with six counts of intoxication manslaughter, two counts of intoxication assault, along with possession of a controlled substance and marijuana possession.
