FORT DODGE (AP) — A central Iowa man who was texting when he crashed his pickup truck into a car has been convicted in the deaths of two people.
The Fort Dodge Messenger reports Chief District Court Judge Kurt Wilke on Monday found 21-year-old Colten Bills guilty of two counts of homicide by vehicle by reckless driving.
Bills will be sentenced Feb. 13.
The charges stem from May 8, 2015, when Bills crashed his pickup into a car near Dayton. The crash killed 56-year-old David Castenson, of Harcourt, and his 85-year-old mother, Velma Castenson, of Dayton.
Wilke says evidence proved Bills was distracted by texting and ignored a stop sign and a sign warning the stop sign was ahead. Wilke says there was no evidence Bills braked or swerved to avoid the car.