U.S. Marshals have arrested a truck driver in connection with the death of another truck driver at a rest area in Arkansas in January 2025.
According to a release from the Arkansas State Police, Darius Simmons, a 30-year-old resident of Georgia, was arrested on January 31, 2025, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, by U.S. Marshals. He faces charges of First-Degree Murder, Aggravated Robbery, Theft of Property, and Failure to Provide Information of an Accident.
On January 4, 2025, authorities arrested Simmons in relation to the death of German Portillo-Batres, a 59-year-old resident of Texas. Portillo-Batres was discovered deceased at the I-40 rest area near Ozark, Arkansas.
According to charging documents obtained by the River Valley Democrat-Gazette, a conflict erupted at the rest area when Simmons accidentally hit a parked semi truck driven by Portillo-Baters.
After the crash, Portillo-Baters got out of the vehicle and tried to snap some pictures of Simmons’ truck in order to document the accident.
According to the report, Simmons grabbed Portillo-Baters’ phone and attempted to escape the rest stop. However, during his getaway, he accidentally hit Portillo-Baters with his tractor trailer, causing him to lose his life.
According to the report, Simmons disposed of Portillo-Baters’ phone on I-40 after deleting the photos.
CDLLife reported that a truck driver has been arrested for the murder of a fellow driver who was fatally struck by a big rig at a rest area in Arkansas.