A semi-truck driver, who was indicted in April on a manslaughter charge related to a fatal wreck on Interstate 69, was arraigned in Caldwell County Circuit Court on Tuesday afternoon.
Tommy Robinson of Cincinnati, Ohio, faces charges of second-degree manslaughter and DUI in connection with the death of 23-year-old Erick Putman of Nortonville in August 2023.
Robinson’s attorney, Jeremy Smith, appeared before Judge Natalie White and entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of his client, who appeared via Zoom from Cincinnati. He questioned Commonwealth’s Attorney Carrie Ovey-Wiggins about the timeline for the lab results, to which she responded that the samples had been sent to a toxicologist.
click to download audioRobinson was charged after a state police investigation revealed that on August 9, 2023, Putman was driving northbound in the left lane on I-69 when his pickup truck collided with the rear of a semi-truck driven by Robinson. The semi-truck was stopped in the same lane due to mechanical problems near the 86-mile marker.
Putman was pronounced dead at the scene by the Caldwell County Coroner. Robinson was uninjured in the crash.
Judge White set a pretrial conference for 1 p.m. on September 3.
