Chase Wayne Mackey is scheduled to appear in the Cumberland County Circuit Criminal Court on September 1st, 2026, facing serious felony charges stemming from a fatal crash.

According to a February 2026 grand jury indictment, Mackey is charged with vehicular homicide by intoxication (Count 1) and an alternate count of vehicular homicide by recklessness (Count 2). The charges arise from an August 14, 2025, collision on Bell Road in Cumberland County.

Investigators state that Mackey was driving a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at an estimated speed of 80 mph when the vehicle went out of control and slammed sideways into a tree. The passenger, 19-year-old Zackary Ray Heylek, suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) Trooper Bobby Barker testified that Mackey smelled of alcohol and admitted to drinking at the scene. Although a blood-alcohol test taken four hours after the crash registered .07%, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) estimated Mackey’s blood-alcohol concentration at .15% at the time of the collision.

Defense attorney Victor Gernt III previously raised questions regarding whether another vehicle may have run Mackey off the road, though investigating troopers noted witness statements did not support that claim. Mackey’s bond is currently set at $500,000 as the case moves toward trial.