Driver in deadly Highway 385 crash had open alcohol, faced recent DWI charge in Missouri

New details are emerging from court documents and investigators about a fiery crash on Highway 385 on Wednesday evening that claimed the life of a Collierville mother of nine. The driver accused of causing the wreck was facing a similar drunk driving charge in another state only a month earlier.

Collierville Police say Derek Kyle Johnson, 37, was near the Progress Road overpass around 5:15 p.m. when his vehicle struck the rear of a Honda CR-V that was stopped in traffic inside an active construction zone. The force of the collision pushed the SUV forward and set off a chain reaction crash that involved three additional vehicles.

When emergency crews reached the scene, the CR-V was fully engulfed in flames and the woman driving it was trapped inside. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Police identified the victim as Rebecca Case. Social media posts, including one from her church, describe her as the mother of nine children.

Officers who responded reported a strong smell of alcohol on Johnson and said his eyes were bloodshot and watery. Police administered a field sobriety test and then took him to a hospital for a blood draw.

Investigators say they found alcohol scattered across the floorboard of Johnson's vehicle: five cans of hard cider, two canned screwdriver cocktails in 16 ounce and 24 ounce sizes, and an unidentified 30 ounce container that smelled strongly of alcohol. Officers also noted that another can of cider sitting in the cup holder was still cold, suggesting it had only just been opened.

Records from multiple jurisdictions point to a widening pattern of charges. Collierville Police say Johnson has an outstanding failure to appear charge out of Bartlett, Tennessee, and that he was driving on a suspended license tied to an August failure to appear charge in Murfreesboro.

An Action News 5 investigation also uncovered active charges against Johnson in Howell County, Missouri, dating to late September, for DWI and driving on a suspended license after he was clocked at 86 mph in a 55 mph zone. Missouri court documents say the arresting officer smelled alcohol and that Johnson admitted he had been drinking. When asked during field sobriety tests whether he felt he was over the legal limit, Johnson reportedly answered, "Possibly." He had been scheduled to appear in a Missouri courtroom on those charges just two days before Wednesday's deadly wreck.

Johnson was arraigned Friday morning on charges of vehicular homicide, DUI, reckless driving, driving on a suspended license, an open container violation and a seat belt violation. He was later transferred to the jail at 201 Poplar, where he is being held on $250,000 bail.