On the evening of July 13, 2023, a tragic accident occurred on SH 1985, west of SH 124, near East Bay Bayou, resulting in the deaths of two young men and leaving another critically injured.
The incident involved a car carrying three men that collided with the back of a large farm tractor towing a piece of equipment, which caused the vehicle to catch fire.
JaVion West and Travon Williams were killed at the scene, while Gage Leath, the driver of the car, was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston.
The Chambers County Sheriff’s Office had received multiple reports about a vehicle traveling at dangerously high speeds, with witnesses claiming the car was moving at least 100 mph on SH 124, heading west towards Anahuac. These reports came in around 8:30 p.m., shortly before the crash occurred.
On November 22, 2024, 18-year-old Gage Lloyd Leath was arrested and charged with two counts of manslaughter in connection with the fatal crash. He was booked into the Chambers County Jail on a commitment basis, meaning no bond was required, and was later released on November 24, 2024.
Leath has been placed under a deferred adjudication program, which includes 10 years of community service (240 hours), a deep lung breath analysis mechanism, random urinalysis testing, and a SCRAM device to monitor alcohol consumption through sweat.
He is also required to attend a Victim Impact Panel course to understand the consequences of alcohol-related offenses. Additionally, Leath is under probation, with unannounced visits from a probation officer allowed at any time.
Interestingly, Leath was not charged with intoxicated manslaughter, but rather manslaughter, and reports suggest he may only need to serve jail time on weekends, although this has not been officially confirmed.