NAVASOTA MAN GETS PRISON TIME FOR HIT AND RUN

  

A Montgomery County jury has sentenced a Navasota man to 13 years in prison after he fled the scene of a fatal traffic crash.

37-year-old Matthew Brian Davis was found guilty of Failure to Stop and Render Aid-Accident Involving Death, which is a second-degree felony.

The accident occurred on November 5, 2021.

DPS reports say that Davis was driving a 1999 Volvo 18-wheeler, and pulling a heavy equipment trailer.

Davis turned left across Highway 105 in order to travel towards Grimes County.  In doing so, he pulled out in front of a truck driven by 67-year-old Gary Lee Frank. 

Frank’s truck struck the side of the trailer, and he was ejected from the vehicle.  Davis was accused of fleeing the scene without stopping or rendering aid.

Frank died at the scene.

DPS canvassed the area and found security cameras that captured the crash on video.

Trooper Brit Lopez went to interview Davis, who denied knowing anything about the crash.

Upon investigating, Lopez said that Davis had spray painted the trailer and tried to hide the damage behind a wooden board.  Lights and decals that were visible in the security camera footage had also been removed.

When the case went to trial, Davis pled guilty and requested probation. 

After reviewing his long criminal history, which includes being pulled over multiple times for illegally driving commercial vehicles, the jury decided prison time was a more appropriate punishment.