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The Rice Thresher
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by Brian Stoler thresher editorial staff
Martin Dean Runnells, 43, was arrested July 26 in Fort Bend County, near the intersection of Highway 90 and Highway 6, by members of the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force. The task force - a group of volunteers from the U.S. Marshal's Service and local police departments and sheriff's offices - works to locate and apprehend suspects accused of violent crimes in the gulf coast region. Runnells is currently in Harris County Jail, where he was taken after his arrest. He has not requested a bail hearing. He was arraigned on Aug. 2, and his next court date is Wednesday. Runnells was charged April 7 with criminally negligent homicide after a three-week investigation by the Harris County Sheriff's Office Traffic Division into the circumstances of the March 17 accident. Baker College freshman Dan Henning was killed and other members of the George R. Brown Forensics Society were injured after Runnells' truck hit one of the team's vans, causing that van to hit the team's other van. The charge against Runnells also states that his truck was a deadly weapon used in the incident. If Runnells were convicted of negligent homicide, a state jail felony, and it was found that the truck was a deadly weapon, the crime would be upgraded to a third degree felony. A state jail felony is punished by imprisonment of 180 days to two years, while a third degree felony is punished by imprisonment of 2-10 years. Both types of felonies may also be punished by a fine of up to $10,000. An accident reconstruction specialist from the sheriff's office determined that Runnells was traveling at least 79 mph at the time of impact. The speed limit in the area, which was a construction zone, was 55 mph. The complaint against Runnells alleges that, "Due to his speed and failing to keep a proper look out in the zone [he] was unable to stop prior to striking the van, which caused the death of [Henning]." Immediately after the accident, Runnells told police he was driving 40 mph when the accident occurred and that he braked prior to impact. He also said he did not see the brake lights of the van prior to impact, according to the complaint. The Rice vans were stopped in traffic when the accident occurred, according to debate coach Dan West, who was driving the front van. Runnells' attorney, Jonathan Gol, urged people not to jump to conclusions about the accident. "In the zeal to make someone pay, we have to be careful not to pick someone that's convenient - we need to really investigate to find out what's going on," he said. Gol said he is investigating the circumstances of the accident, like whether appropriate signs and lighting were posted in the construction zone. "I'm going to do the best of my abilities to discover the truth of what happened that night," he said. According to the accident report, the stretch of highway where the incident occurred was dark and unlighted. Meanwhile, West said the team will no longer rent and drive vans to tournaments. The team will travel by bus instead, using money newly added to the team's budget. West said he has obtained a commercial driver's license so he can rent and drive a bus to nearby tournaments.
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