A Johnson County jury sentenced 76-year-old James Armstrong of Whitney to 20 years in the Texas Department of Corrections on two counts and Life in Prison on the other count on March 21, 2024. Armstrong was found guilty of Intoxication Manslaughter in the 18th District Court. The conviction stemmed from a tragic incident that occurred on November 19, 2022.
Armstrong was driving drunk when he caused a major crash on I-35W in Johnson County. According to DPS investigators, the wreck happened just before 2 a.m., approximately two miles north of Grandview. Armstrong was behind the wheel of a 2015 Jeep Patriot, heading southbound on I-35, when he struck a 2022 Ram 1500 from behind. The impact caused the Ram to roll over and crash into the concrete pillar of an overpass.
At the time of the crash, there were two people in the Ram. The driver, identified as 35-year-old Dillon Donahoe from Cleburne, was pronounced dead at the scene. The passenger, 28-year-old Katherine Lewallen, was airlifted to JPS Hospital for treatment.
