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TOOELE -- A volunteer firefighter charged with automobile homicide in a head-on crash that killed two people made his first appearance in court on Tuesday.
Adam Smart, 30, is charged with second-degree felony automobile homicide in the deaths of Michael Haydon, 54, and Alan Carlson, 83. The Jan. 22 crash happened on SR 112 outside Tooele.
The Utah Highway Patrol said at the time that a pickup crossed the center line and slammed head-on into a Chevrolet Corsica that Hayton was driving.
The UHP initially claimed that alcohol was a factor in the crash. However, Tooele County prosecutors have claimed that prescription drugs may have been a factor.
During his initial appearance in Tooele's 3rd District Court on Tuesday, Smart said he could not afford a lawyer and was appointed a public defender. As he was getting ready to leave, deputy Tooele County Attorney Gary Searle stood and asked the judge to reconsider the terms of Smart's release.
Searle claimed to have information that on May 18, Smart was seen by two people who called 911 to report an erratic driver on Interstate-80. The reckless driving claim concerned prosecutors.
"We'd ask that as part of his release, he would have no driving privileges," Searle told the judge.
Judge Stephen Henriod turned to Smart and asked him how he got to court. Smart told the judge his parents drove him.
"You cannot drive any vehicle under any circumstances," Henriod said, ordering Smart to retrieve his driver's license from his wallet and hand it over to a bailiff.
Smart declined to comment as he left the courthouse. He will return to court on July 21.
E-mail:bwinslow@ksl.com
