Intoxicated driver sentenced for killing couple changing tire on Wichita highway ramp
An intoxicated driver who killed a couple changing a flat tire on a north Wichita highway ramp has been sentenced to seven years, two months in prison, according to a note in Sedgwick County District Court records.
Travis Lee Mock of Wichita pleaded guilty on May 19 to two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the Nov. 10, 2022, deaths of 20-year-old Christian L. Evans and 18-year-old Emily M. Stein. The pair were changing a tire on the driver’s side of a 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer around 6:40 p.m. on Nov. 10 on the ramp from northbound I-135 to eastbound K-96 when Mock slammed into them in a 2014 Ram pickup.
Mock told authorities at the scene he was “going to work” and “had packages in his truck he needed to deliver” for Amazon when the crash happened, according to an affidavit released by the court. He also claimed he “couldn’t see” and “was just trying to make sure I didn’t hit another car.”
But authorities noted several signs he was intoxicated, including bloodshot eyes, sleepiness, constricted pupils and swaying while he walked, the affidavit says.
Law enforcement found “THC wax, a THC vape pen, raw marijuana, Xanax and Oxycodone pills, along with rolling papers used for smoking marijuana” and an amphetamine pill when they searched Mock’s truck, the affidavit says.
Stein’s mother, brother and toddler son were in the Trailblazer waiting on Stein and Evans, who were dating, to change the tire when Mock ran into them. She told authorities they were on the way to a local sporting goods store to buy Evans a crossbow so he could go hunting that Saturday when the tire went flat, the affidavit says.
Stein’s family members weren’t hurt in the crash.
Judge Eric Williams ordered Mock to serve 43 months for each count of involuntary manslaughter and ran the prison terms consecutive, or back-to-back, court records show. He denied a request for probation from Mock’s lawyer, who argued in a written motion that Mock “accepted responsibility” and saved time and resources by pleading guilty, and “needs drug treatment” to overcome his addiction issues.
In exchange for Mock’s guilty plea, prosecutors dismissed a case where he was charged with possessing fentanyl, marijuana and other narcotics two days before the deadly collision, his plea agreement says. Prosecutors also agreed to not file charges against Mock in an April destruction of property and domestic violence case, according to the agreement.
This story was originally published July 7, 2023 at 1:20 PM.
