An off-duty deputy identified as James Lee, 71, was killed Saturday by a DUI suspect who veered off the road, FOX 29 reported. Lee served with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for more than 20 years, the report said.
By Bailey Aldridge
The Charlotte Observer
HAMSHIRE, Texas — A 71-year-old man mowing a lawn was hit and killed by an SUV on Saturday, July 9, in Texas, officials said.
The driver of the 2017 Toyota SUV, identified as 38-year-old Michael Miller of Beaumont, Texas, has been charged with intoxicated manslaughter and unlawful carrying of a weapon, according to a news release from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Around 8:15 p.m., Miller was traveling at an “unsafe speed” around a curve on Burrell-Wingate Road, the sheriff’s office said.
The SUV then veered off the road and into a ditch, hitting the 71-year-old, identified as James Lee of Hamshire, Texas, who was “operating a lawn mower” at the time, the sheriff’s office said.
A justice of the peace pronounced Lee dead at the scene, according to the sheriff’s office.
Miller was taken to a hospital, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies did not say how serious his injuries were.
No other information about the incident was released as of Sunday afternoon, July 10.
Jefferson County is about 78 miles east of Houston.
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