On Wednesday, 35-year-old James Leonard Vaughn appeared before the Overton County Criminal Court with is attorney and entered a plea of GUILTY to the following criminal offenses:

1. Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, a Class A felony

2. Vehicular Assault, a Class D felony.

3. Reckless Endangerment, a Class E felony (2 counts)

4. Driving on a revoked driver license, a Class A misdemeanor.

The Overton County Grand Jury issued a True Bill of Indictment charging these offenses on September 21, 2022. Since being served with the Indictment, the Defendant has been incarcerated.

Following the entry of his plea of guilty, James Leonard Vaughn was sentenced to serve 21 years’ incarceration.

Vehicular Homicide is committed when you kill another person by operation of a motor vehicle while impaired. The offense is aggravated in this case because Vaughn had two prior convictions for DUI (driving under the influence).

During the nighttime hours of May 12, 2022, in Livingston TN, the Defendant’s vehicle was observed by witnesses driving on the wrong side of the road on a hill in a curve with no headlights on. The Defendant was driving south and turning onto Highway 85. The witness was driving behind the Defendant’s vehicle when the Defendant started to travel on the wrong side of the road completely in the eastbound lane.

The Defendant then slammed on his brakes and cut off both lanes of traffic, almost striking a white car. The Defendant stopped in the middle of the road. He then threw his vehicle in reverse and slammed on the gas and almost struck the vehicle behind him. The Defendant then took off traveling at least 70 miles per hour.

The Defendant’s vehicle crossed the center line of the road and stuck the victim’s vehicle head on in the victim’s lane of travel.

The victims are Daniel Flatt, his wife Halie Flatt, son Titus Flatt and unborn child Silas Flatt. The Flatt family was driving their family vehicle. As they were driving around a curve, the Defendant’s vehicle was coming at them completely in their lane. Mr. Flatt slammed on his brakes making his wife Halie fly forward. Mr. Flatt swerved, and the defendant swerved right and hit their car head on in Mr. Flatt’s Lane.

Halie Flatt was 9 months pregnant with their son Silas Flatt at the time of the crash. Halie suffered blunt force injuries that caused her full-term unborn son Silas Flatt to pass away.

Trooper Butler with the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the THP Critical Incident Response Team members investigated the crash. Trooper Butler suspected that the Defendant was impaired. He conducted field sobriety tests that corroborated his suspicion. The Defendant refused to consent to a blood draw. A search warrant was sought and issued to obtain a blood same from the Defendant.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab tested the Defendant’s blood. The result of the testing revealed that the following substances were in his blood stream:

The Chief Medical Examiner issued an opinion stating that the cause of the death of Silas Flatt, the unborn child of Daniel and Halie Flatt was “Intrauterine fetal demise due to Uterine rupture due to maternal blunt force injuries”.

During the plea hearing, Daniel Flatt and Halie Flatt both spoke in open court expressing how difficult this situation has been to their family.

LEGISLATIVE ACTION:

The Tennessee General Assembly passed the “Silas Gable Flatt Law” as 2023 Public Chapter 243 this year which is named after the victim in this case. Local legislators Ryan Williams and Senator Paul Bailey were sponsors of the bill. This bill creates a criminal offense for a person to knowingly provide a motor vehicle to another person if they are under the influence of some intoxicant or to knowingly provide a motor vehicle to another person if they know the person’s driver license is suspended or revoked.

Rep. Williams presented the Flatt family with a framed copy of the legislation.