A six-year-old boy has died after his stepfather allegedly allowed a 10-year-old girl to move a pickup truck, only for it to smash through the family’s home and kill the child on the porch.
The horrifying incident unfolded just after midnight on Sunday in Lufkin, Texas, as Clinton Earl Johnson Jr., 31, was outside grilling chicken and drinking, according to police.
Per KTRE, Kash Riley Yeater had been playing with his mum’s phone on the front porch when the red Nissan Titan—reportedly driven by a child—plowed into the house, crushing the wooden structure and everything in its path.
According to police reports, the 10-year-old girl had been frustrated that the truck was blocking her tricycle. Johnson, allegedly trying to help, gave her the keys and told her to “scoot it up,” according to a statement made to officers by Kash’s mother, Paiton Rose.
Johnson reportedly told police the girl had driven the vehicle before on backroads. But this time, Rose said the girl “got confused and got on the gas, causing the accident.”
In a split second, the 2.9-ton truck surged forward, smashing into the porch and sending chairs and debris flying. Kash had no time to escape. Deputies arrived at the home around 1am to find the boy lying on his back in front of the truck, critically injured. He was rushed to hospital but could not be saved.
Photos taken at the scene show the destroyed porch, the red Titan still parked where it struck, and a barbecue still sizzling with chicken.
Police noted the smell of alcohol on both Johnson and Rose’s breath. Both admitted to having three or four drinks while grilling, according to the arrest report.
Johnson, who has since been charged with felony criminally negligent homicide, was arrested Tuesday and released the next day on a $3,000 bond.
The identity of the girl behind the wheel hasn’t been confirmed publicly, but a family friend wrote online: “He didn't want that to happen neither did that baby's momma nor that baby's sister.”
Johnson has an 11-year-old daughter from a previous relationship who often visited and was known to the family as Kash’s sister.
In a tribute, Kash’s obituary described him as a happy boy who didn’t believe in Santa but still believed in the tooth fairy “because of the money under his pillow.”
It continued: “He loved spooky things, but he was still afraid of the dark and had to have a light on. His best buddy was his brother… whom he loved dearly. Kash also loved his baby brother… he was the only one that could calm him down.”
The young boy was remembered as someone who “loved his video games (especially Among Us and Sonic),” and enjoyed “swimming, school, fishing and four wheelers.”
Rose had previously spoken warmly about Johnson’s role in her sons’ lives, even calling him a good stepfather in social media posts. The couple were married in September 2023, with wedding photos showing Johnson in a camouflage vest and cowboy hat alongside Kash and his brother.
Kash is due to be laid to rest at Garden of Memories Cemetery in Lufkin on Saturday.