Southern Utah man charged in ATV crash that killed his wife 4 years ago

KANAB — A man who police say crashed his all-terrain vehicle while driving impaired nearly four years ago, resulting in the death of his wife, is now facing a criminal charge.

Ashley R. Pyne, 49, who lives in the Duck Creek area of Kane County, was charged Tuesday in 6th District Court with automobile homicide, a second-degree felony.

According to charging documents, on Sept. 11, 2020, Pyne "consumed alcohol and left a party with his wife in an ATV. He was too impaired to drive. He was driving too fast on a gravel road on a sharp turn, which resulted in a rollover accident. His wife was killed due to his actions."

The Kane County Sheriff's Office issued a statement in 2020 stating that the ATV "took a corner too fast and hit a ditch causing the ATV to roll. The female, 40-year-old Amy Joelle Knowlton, was ejected from the ATV and passed away at the scene from her injuries."

Pyne's blood-alcohol content was 0.164%, or more than three times the legal limit, the charges state.

The crash happened on Rim Road in the Meadow View Estates subdivision on Cedar Mountain.

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