Texas teenager receives 65-year sentence for deadly crash involving THC impairment near Cleburne

A teenager has been given a 65-year prison sentence for causing a tragic head-on collision in Johnson County that resulted in the loss of six lives, including two children, and left his passenger with a serious brain injury just after Christmas in 2023. The 19-year-old driver, Luke Garrett Resecker, was found to be impaired by THC when he crossed into oncoming traffic on U.S. Highway 67 near County Road 1119, south of Cleburne. The victims, a family from Georgia, were returning from a visit to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose when the accident occurred. Prosecutors revealed that Resecker, who was 17 at the time of the crash, had THC in his system and collided with a Honda Odyssey minivan carrying the family members, resulting in the deaths of individuals ranging from 9 to 64 years old. In addition to those who sadly lost their lives, two survivors sustained serious injuries, with one becoming paralyzed from the waist down and Resecker's passenger experiencing a traumatic brain injury. In response to this devastating incident, Assistant District Attorneys emphasized the importance of safe and responsible driving, cautioning against the severe and irreversible consequences of impaired and reckless behavior behind the wheel. Initial charges against Resecker included multiple counts related to intoxication manslaughter, intoxication assault, and drug possession. The victims' identities were released, with one victim, Rushil Barri, being from Irving, and the other five victims — Naveena Potabathula, Nageswararao Ponnada, Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, Krithik Potabathula, and Nishidha Potabathula — hailing from Alpharetta, Georgia.