Published: June 03, 2009 04:09 pm      

Truck violence gets a denial

A handful of criminal charges are now faced by a Lindsay area man who authorities claim is denying the allegation he used a pickup as a weapon against another vehicle.

All eight of the counts filed against Shad Wayne Mills, 38, accuse him of using a pickup truck to intentionally run into another vehicle filled with mostly teenagers.

The incident in question came late last week on a county road a few miles southeast of Lindsay.

It was there a truck carrying six occupants, with five being juveniles, was struck several times by a vehicle that authorities believe was driven by Mills.

“They said the vehicle rear-ended them several times trying to force them off roadway,” said Lt. Travis Crawford of the Garvin County Sheriff’s Department.

Once the incident was over both vehicles were stopped in Lindsay by either police there or county deputies called to help.

“He basically denied any involvement in ramming the vehicle,” Crawford said about Mills.

“Evidence processed at the scene suggest otherwise.”

Along with the evidence, Crawford said all the individuals in the vehicle claimed Mills was the driver of the other truck, as did three other people who were not involved but saw the vehicles pass by their locations.

Authorities now believe the incident was triggered when Mills thought the teens had shouted something at him as they drove by his residence on the county road near Lindsay.

According to Crawford, the six individuals in the passing truck denied any claim they had shouted out something as they passed by while seated in both the cab and bed of their vehicle.

When Mills was stopped by officers on May 28 it was learned a second individual was riding in his truck. That person was released as Mills was taken into custody.

The felony charges filed against Mills in Garvin Count District Court include six counts of assault and battery with a deadly weapon with each representing the number of subjects in the vehicle.

Mills was also handed misdemeanor counts of reckless driving and malicious injury to property.