October 25, 2005
A thirty-eight year old Johnson City man was arrested last Thursday and charged with felony reckless endangerment in connection with an alleged drag racing incident that left a David Crockett High School student dead and an Erwin teen in critical condition.
David A. Phillips, No. 1 Creston Court, was arrested in connection with the September 24th accident in Johnson City that killed Cortney Hensley, 17, Telford, and sent Erwin teenager Courtney Beard to the Burn Center Unit at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville.
Authorities say Phillips was driving a red Dodge Viper, and was reportedly drag racing Bradley Mullins, 18, Gray, when Mullins hit the back end of a Honda CRV driven by Beard. Hensley was a passenger in the car. Beard was sitting at the stop light at the intersection of North Roan Street and Springbrook Drive when her vehicle was hit. Her car was hit so hard it was thrown nearly 280 feet down North Roan Street, authorities said. Phillips was released on a $5,000 cash bond Thursday.
At a press conference Friday, Johnson City Police Lt. Larry Williams characterized the incident by saying, “This was no accident.” He told members of the press the fatal wreck shouldn’t be referred to as such. Harris spoke briefly at the press briefing that was also attended by Major Trent Harris, Lt. Becky West, lead traffic accident homicide investigator, and District Attorney General Joe Crumley, who had been criticized concerning the pace of the investigation.
Williams said the continuing investigation was “long and difficult,” and many overtime man hours had been spent thus far on the case. He praised West for working many hours of overtime and on her days off.
Crumley said Phillips was not charged the more serious charges that Mullins now faces because he, “had backed off three-to-four tenths of a mile” prior to the accident.
“We offer our condolences to the family of the deceased and our prayers for Miss Beard,” Harris said.
