BATON ROUGE — A woman accused of driving while impaired in a March crash that killed her 7-year-old grandson in Baton Rouge has now been arrested, police said Tuesday.
Latrisha Jackson, 43, was booked with vehicular homicide, driving while impaired and driving with a suspended license in Kyion Jackson’s death.
She was also booked with failing to properly restrain a child passenger, driving without insurance and reckless operation of a vehicle.
Latricia Jackson had picked up the Port Allen Elementary second-grader from tutoring on March 24 and they were on the way home when the crash occurred, family members told UWK. Kyion died from his injuries on March 27.
Police said Latrisha Jackson tested positive for alprazolam, the active ingredient in Xanax, and for trazodone. Trazodone is an anti-depressant that police say can worsen the impairing effects of benzodiazepines, the drug category that includes alprazolam.
Jackson was in a 2012 Honda Civic headed east on Florida Boulevard near North Leo Street. She crossed a double turn lane and then continued into oncoming traffic, crashing head-on into a 2019 Toyota Camry. Kyion was a passenger in the front seat. He was not in a car seat or a booster seat, the warrant said.
The warrant said the crash left Kyion with a “severe head injury.”
Arian Thomas, Kyion’s other grandmother, described him as a “fun, loving boy.”
“Kyion was a one of the sweetest kids you will ever meet,” Thomas said. “Everyone he came in contact with absolutely adored him. He had a smile with some cute dimples that will melt anyone’s heart.”
“He was just the best little kid,” she said.
Kyion’s family set up a GoFundMe to help with expenses. According to the GoFundMe, the family hoped to handle everything privately, but ‘the emotional weight and unexpected expenses have become overwhelming. We are asking for support to help us lay our baby to rest.’ You can make a donation here.
Download the Unfiltered with Kiran app from the Apple App Store and Google Play to stay updated on the latest news across the Capital area.
Support UWK and its mission to deliver The News You Deserve. Unfiltered. Become a monthly patron on Patreon today!
