Conway man charged in fatal crash

A man faces charges of driving under the influence of drugs and second-degree battery after a Conway crash on Sunday afternoon that killed one person and injured three others in addition to himself, according to a Tuesday news release from the Arkansas State Police.

According to the state police, witnesses told investigators Christopher Swillie, 42, of Conway was driving recklessly and erratically around 1 p.m. Sunday on U.S. 64 near Hogan Lane when the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado he was driving rear-ended a 2007 Honda Civic.

The impact caused a passenger in the Chevrolet, 46-year-old Aretha Swillie of Conway, to be thrown from the vehicle onto the highway and killed.

The Honda crossed the centerline and hit a third vehicle, a 2018 Kia Optima. After

the collision, Christopher Swillie continued driving erratically down the highway, leaving the roadway numerous times, the state police said.

Christopher Swillie was hurt in the crash, as were Tamera Franklin, 67, of Menifee, who was driving the Honda, Christopher Waddle, 34, of Morrilton, who was driving the Kia, and Shirley Rensel, 37, of Conway, who was a passenger in the Kia.

It wasn’t clear to police on Tuesday how Christopher and Aretha Swillie were related, state police spokeswoman Cindy Murphy said Tuesday evening.

After Swillie was treated for nonlife-threatening injuries, he was booked at the Faulkner County jail, the state police news release states.

State police investigators will create a case file with their findings to submit to the Faulkner County prosecutor, the release states.