Texas man charged in fatality accident

A two-car accident Wednesday morning, April 26, on U.S. Highway 75 resulted in the death of a Whiting woman and a Texas man being booked into jail on second-degree murder and other charges, it has been reported.

Melinda Wareham, 74, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which occurred at about 10:50 a.m. that day on U.S. 75 about a quarter-mile south of the 254th Road intersection, or two miles north of Holton, according to Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse, who assisted the Kansas Highway Patrol in working the accident scene.

The accident also resulted in criminal charges against Ayinde-Jriel James, 44, of Fort Worth, Texas, who was booked into the Jackson County Jail after the accident, and caused both northbound and southbound traffic on U.S. 75 to be rerouted for about four hours after the accident while law enforcement worked the scene, Sheriff Morse said.

According to documents filed Tuesday morning in Jackson County District Court, James was charged with murder in the second degree, driving under the influence, possession of marijuana and reckless driving.

The second-degree murder charge is a level 2 felony that carries a potential prison sentence ranging from 493 months (41 years and one month) to 109 months (nine years and one month); the remaining charges are classified as misdemeanors.

At the time of the accident, Wareham was driving a 2010 Mercury Grand Marquis south on U.S. 75 when James, driving a 2013 Dodge Avenger north on the highway, was, according to KHP, “traveling at excess speeds” and passing numerous vehicles without giving Wareham’s car sufficient clearance, and the two cars collided head-on, ending up in the west ditch.

James received a “suspected minor injury” in the accident, according to the KHP report. Both drivers were wearing safety belts at the time of the accident, the report stated.

Sheriff Morse issued a statement the following day that James had been booked into the Jackson County Jail by KHP following the accident. James is currently being held on $750,000 bond, according to the sheriff’s office Web site.

KHP was assisted in responding to the accident by the sheriff’s office, the Holton Fire Department and Jackson County EMS, it was reported.

Wareham was a member of the Jackson Heights USD 335 Board of Education, a board she had served on for 12 years. Jackson Heights Superintendent Jim Howard said Wareham was “highly regarded by her peers and colleagues.”

“Her untimely passing is a great loss to our school district and the wider community,” Howard said. “Our thoughts and condolences go out to Melinda's family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

An obituary for Wareham appears on Page 5 of today’s Recorder.