For the second time in eight days a North Texas police officer is dead after a crash with an alleged drunken driver, police say.
Waxahachie police officer Josh Williams was reposonding to a disturbance call at a Taco Bell when he collided with a car driven by 24-year-old Dylyn Richards, who was speeding and driving without headlights on according to The Texas Department of Public Safety.
DPS is investigating the crash and they confirm RIchards' alcohol level was over the legal limit.
Richards is facing felony intoxicated manslaughter charges. He was initially transported to the hospital for observation and was later transferred to jail. Richards is expected to have a court hearing early Monday morning. NBC 5 checked crime records and found Richards was convicted of driving drunk back in 2009 and served two years probation.
Officer Josh Williams had been with the Waxahachie Police Department for 17 years and is survived by his wife and three children.
"Good officer, very friendly. Very well respected among the officers," said Chuck Edge, Waxahachie Chief of Police.
Edge said in his 10 years as chief, this is the first time he's lost an officer.
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"It's tough," he said. "It's going to be a trying time, but we've already had offers of help and support from other agencies in the area as far as taking calls for us or anything along those lines. So, as usual, the police community and fire community come together."
Lancaster police officer Dustin Dodson was off-duty last Saturday morning when he was struck and killed by an alleged drunken driver while riding his motorcycle home from work on US 67 in Venus. Dodson was laid to rest on Friday.
