POTH -- A traffic stop ended in tragedy in Wilson County, when an SUV full of 13 undocumented immigrants crashed into a stock tank, killing three young men.
Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt says a deputy stopped a silver Tahoe for a broken light on FM 427 at about 4:20 a.m. Wednesday. When the deputy got out of his car, the SUV sped away. As the SUV turned onto County Road 225, Tackitt says the driver lost control and the Tahoe crashed through three gates and ended up in a stock tank full of water.
When deputies located the SUV, Tackitt says three people were on top of it and a fourth person was spotted on the side of the tank. All were apparently unhurt. Six others believed to have been inside the SUV were found huddled on a porch nearby. They also appeared to be uninjured. Sheriff Tackitt said the people riding in the SUV may be from Guatemala and the survivors are being interviewed by ICE agents.
Divers recovered the bodies of three young men from the nine-foot deep pond Wednesday afternoon. Sheriff Tackitt said deputies are investigating two people taken into custody in Poth, to determine if they are connected to the accident. Tackitt said there was a report of a red Tahoe driving down FM 427 at the same time as the accident, but deputies had not located that SUV and could not determine if it was connected to the crash.
