Months after Ga. family of 6 killed in crash, police charge teen with intoxication manslaughter

Mary Royse Ginther
·2 min read
22

A 17-year-old is facing multiple charges after officials say he caused a crash that killed a family of six from Alpharetta.

The Texas Department of Public Safety officials said last week that 17-year-old Luke Resecker was charged with six counts of intoxication manslaughter, two counts of intoxication assault, possession of a controlled substance, penalty group 2 and possession of marijuana.

His bond was set at $50,000 with a restriction of monitored home confinement.

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On Dec. 26, Texas deputies said the six people killed were traveling in a Honda Odyssey on U.S. 67 North when a Chevrolet Silverado tried to pass another car in a no-passing zone. The truck hit the Odyssey head-on.

The driver of the truck, Resecker, and his passenger, 17-year-old Preston Glass, were taken to the hospital in critical condition.

The dead included six people in the Odyssey: two women, ages 36 and 60; two men, ages 28 and 64; and two children, a 10-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl. The 28-year-old man who was the driver was from Irving, Texas.

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Channel 2 Action News spoke to family members in India, who identified the victims as Nageswararao Ponnada (64) and his wife Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada (60), their daughter Naveena Potabathula (36) and their grandchildren, Pkrithik Potabathula (10) and Nishidha Potabathula (9). Rushil Barri (28) was also killed in the Odyssey.

It’s unclear how he is related to the family.

One member of the family survived the crash. Lokesh Potabathula (43), of Alpharetta, was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

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Authorities added that Resecker was not medically fit to be booked into the Johnson County Jail due to his medical condition. He has since posted a bond and was released.

The crash remains under investigation.

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