Man Faces Charges in Fatal Accident

Haywood

Phillips

ITAWAMBA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) — A teenage driver will be charged with the April 7t DUI death of an Amory High senior.

Alexis Haywood, 18, of Amory died when a 1998 Chevrolet sedan driven by 19-year-old Timothy Dwight Phillips, of Nettleton, ran off New Chapel Road at about 8 p.m. on April 7 and crashed into a tree near Highway 371 in southern Itawamba County.

At the time, investigators said they feared alcohol might have been involved. Investigator Jason Dickinson with the Itawamba County Sheriff’s Department says evidence gathered from the scene, reconstruction of the accident and events leading up to it, and toxicology tests have since confirmed Phillips was impaired and faces a variety of charges ranging from DUI maiming to manslaughter.

The case will be presented to the Itawamba County Grand Jury when it convenes this summer.

Phillips also was injured in the accident and continues to recover at home from head trauma and a broken pelvis. He will be formally charged and jailed when he is medically able.