BOWIE COUNTY, Texas–A woman accused of being intoxicated when she crashed a pickup truck into a ditch on South Highway 8, killing her passenger, allegedly told investigators she “couldn’t remember” who the deceased individual was.
Stephanie Diane Fannin, 51, of Maud, Texas, was reportedly driving a 2024 Ford F-150 truck when it slammed into a ditch on the west side of the highway June 29, according to a probable cause affidavit. While Fannin suffered some injuries, her unidentified passenger died of injuries sustained in the crash.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers who responded to the fatal crash site noted that there was an odor of alcohol coming from the truck and observed beer cans in the cab and around the scene, the affidavit said.
Fannin was transported to CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital in Texarkana for medical treatment following the wreck. While there, hospital staff called for help from the Texarkana Texas Police Department because “Fannin was causing a disturbance.”
TTPD Officer Jonathan Price allegedly noted that Fannin’s speech was slurred, her eyes were red and bloodshot and a “distinct odor” of alcohol coming from her breath, the affidavit said.
Fannin reportedly requested a lawyer after being read her rights and allegedly refused to tell officers the name of the person who had died in her truck.
“Fannin was asked several times to identify the deceased passenger of her vehicle and she refused to answer, stating she did not remember,” the affidavit said.
Fannin is currently being held in the Bowie County jail with bail set at $1.5 million.
If found guilty of intoxication manslaughter, she faces two to 20 years in prison.
Court records show Fannin is represented by the Bowie County Public Defender’s Office. She is scheduled to appear in court this month for a status hearing before 102nd District Judge Jeff Addison.