A grand jury in Texas has indicted a Baytown police officer for a fatal crash that killed two children in October.
KPRC reports that Michael Hightower, 28, has been charged with two counts of manslaughter and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The crash took place on October 23 as Hightower was reportedly responding to a call shortly after 7 p.m. The indictments say Hightower was traveling at a high rate of speed without lights or sirens when he struck a 2023 Honda Odyssey carrying five children as that vehicle was making a left turn with a blinking yellow arrow.
Hightower reportedly had a green light, but a police report determined he was at fault since he was speeding and had not engaged his lights and sirens. The rate of speed impacted the other driver’s response time, the report said.
Hightower and two of the the children — 10-year-old Jude Russell and 8-year-old Ryver Russell, both children of a Harris County sheriff’s deputy — were airlifted to a hospital, where the two boys were pronounced dead, KTRK reported.
Three other children in the Odyssey — 16-, 14-, and 3-year-old girls — suffered fractures, brain bleeds, and other injuries, according to a GoFundMe for the Russell family.
Hightower underwent surgery on his leg and is still on medical leave, KTRK said.
The indictment was handed up on Friday, and Hightower turned himself in on Monday and was promptly released on a $150,000 bond.
Baytown police said that Hightower was “cooperating fully with the legal process.”
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Featured image: Jude and Ryver Russell/Crespo & Jirrels Funeral and Cremation Services and Michael Hightower/Baytown Police Department]