Winn to Serve two Years for Intoxication Manslaughter

ROCKWALL - A prison sentence has been handed down in 2011 fatality wreck in Lamar County that led to the creation of a safe driving program for the community.

20-year-old Keefer Winn pleaded guilty back in April to two counts of intoxication manslaughter. On Wednesday he was ordered to two years behind bars and a $15,000 fine. The decision was issued in a Rockwall courtroom after a change of venue.

Winn was the driver in a wreck that instantly killed Wade Witmer of Clarksville. Dylan Ballard of Paris later died after being transported to a hospital. Two others survived the wreck.

Last August, Ballard’s parents started the nonprofit Dylan’s Drivers, described as a “non judgmental, confidential, safe, free ride home for the Lamar County Community.” The designated driver program offers rides Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.