MURFREESBORO, TN - UPDATE: A man accused of causing a fiery 5-vehicle wreck will represent himself in court - this news in after police have confirmed the suspects arrest (Scroll down to continue reading more about the crash that led to the arrest of a Murfreesboro suspect).
MORE DETAILS - The driver who is accused of causing a five-car chain reaction crash on Saturday, October 28 has been arrested. Looking back to when first responders arrived on the scene of the wreck, they found one car in flames and a driver who was trapped inside of his vehicle.
45-Year-old Charles Smith has been arrested as a result of the investigation into the incident. Smith was taken into custody by Rutherford County Sheriff's Deputies on an active warrant. He is charged with aggravated assault by recklessness, reckless endangerment (with vehicle / felony), driving without a license, no proof of insurance while being involved in an accident with bodily injury, and simple possession.
The crash occurred at the intersection of Lascassas Pike and East Northfield Boulevard, which is less than 1200 feet away from Fire Station 8. When fire crews pulled up, firemen found Jay Swaim trapped inside his burning vehicle... That was Eric Swaim, the father of the 24-year-old accident victim. While the young man was severely burned in the collision, he survived – and for that, his father is grateful... Jay's father Eric visited with the firemen at Station 8 earlier this month to personally thank those who saved his son.
Murfreesboro Police say that suspect Charles Smith is believed to have been driving at a high rate of speed just before the crash. The Murfreesboro man is now facing two felony charges, two class A misdemeanors and one class B misdemeanor.
On Wednesday, November 15th, the suspect filed a request with the public defenders' office to be relieved of counsel. As requested, Mr. Smith will represent himself before the courts moving forward. His next hearing will be on December 1st. As of Thursday afternoon, he was still behind bars under a $102,500 bond at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center.
Meanwhile at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Swaim continues to undergo surgeries and procedures as he continues down what will likely be a long road to recovery.
DISCLAIMER: All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The arrest records or information about an arrest that are published or reported on NewsRadio WGNS and www.WGNSradio.com are not an indication of guilt or evidence that an actual crime has been committed.
