FLORENCE– A Lauderdale County Grand Jury has indicted an Augusta, Georgia man for manslaughter in the death of a mother and daughter who died on June 8th on a boating accident on Shoal Creek.
At a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly announced the indictment of Ross Newton Wooten III or as he is commonly known as “Trey” on two manslaughter charges.
Wooten was piloting the boat that Lauren Cowart,37, and her 5-year-old daughter Blakely Cowart were passengers in when they were struck by another boat and killed.
Wooten’s bond has been set at $50,000 and is expected to turn himself in Tuesday afternoon.
The grand jury indictment states that Wooten was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.
The Department of Forensic Sciences report states Wooten had a blood alcohol content of 0.121, which is above the legal limit of 0.08.
Connolly said there will be another grand jury looking into the operator of the larger vessel.
By Jeff Roland – Editor-in-Chief/ Publisher
ShoalsInsider.com – Keeping You Informed
