Luke Resecker was a seventeen year old living in Texas who was high on marijuana when he would kill six people in a fatal crash
According to court documents Luke Resecker was driving recklessly and high on marijuana when his truck would strike a vehicle that had a Georgia family killing 28-year-old Rushil Barri, 39-year-old Naveena Potabathula, 64-year-old Nageswararao Ponnada, 60-year-old Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, 10-year-old Kruthik Potabathula and 9-year-old Nishidha Potabathula.
Luke Resecker would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to sixty five years in prison
Luke Resecker Current Information
SID Number: 20956245
TDCJ Number: 02590757
Name: RESECKER,LUKE GARRETT
Race: W
Gender: M
Age: 19
Maximum Sentence Date: 2090-10-25
Current Facility: ALLRED
Projected Release Date: 2090-10-25
Parole Eligibility Date: 2055-10-25
Luke Resecker Case
Nearly two years after a devastating head-on crash that killed six members of a visiting Georgia family, a Johnson County jury has sentenced 19-year-old Luke Garrett Resecker to 65 years in prison.
The verdict follows a week-long trial in which prosecutors said Resecker was under the influence of marijuana when he crossed into oncoming traffic on U.S. Highway 67 near County Road 1119 outside Cleburne on December 26, 2023.
Resecker’s Chevy Silverado collided head-on with a Honda Odyssey minivan, killing six of the seven occupants inside.
Those killed were 28-year-old Rushil Barri, 39-year-old Naveena Potabathula, 64-year-old Nageswararao Ponnada, 60-year-old Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, 10-year-old Kruthik Potabathula and 9-year-old Nishidha Potabathula.
The lone survivor from the minivan, Lokesh Potabathula, lost his wife, two children, cousin and in-laws in the crash. He survived but was left paralyzed from the waist down.
Resecker’s passenger, 17-year-old Preston Glass, suffered a severe traumatic brain injury that left him mentally impaired.
Potabathula’s family had recently moved from Plano to Alpharetta, Georgia, returning to North Texas to visit friends over the holidays. Barri, his cousin, had moved from India for graduate studies and was living and working in Irving.
An affidavit and toxicology report showed that THC was present in Resecker’s system at the time of the crash. Troopers also found THC wax, a vape pen, and marijuana inside his truck.
When charges were first filed in early 2024, Resecker faced six counts of intoxication manslaughter, two counts of intoxication assault, and drug-possession charges. Due to injuries from the crash, he was placed on monitored home confinement after posting bond
Luke Resecker News
A teen has been sentenced to 65 years in prison for a devastating head-on crash in Johnson County that killed six people — including two children — and left his passenger with a traumatic brain injury just after Christmas in 2023.
Authorities said 19-year-old Luke Resecker was under the influence of THC when he veered into oncoming traffic.
The crash happened around 4 p.m. on Dec. 26, 2023, on U.S. Highway 67 near County Road 1119, south of Cleburne.
The victims, including members of a Georgia family, had spent the day visiting Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose. A friend of the family told CBS News Texas they were excited to see the animals and were on their way home when the crash happened.
Authorities say driver was high
Prosecutors said Resecker, who was 17 at the time, crossed into the opposite lane and slammed into a Honda Odyssey minivan carrying the family. The victims who died ranged in age from 9 to 64.
Two survivors suffered severe injuries
While one survivor was left paralyzed from the waist down, Resecker’s 17-year-old passenger suffered a traumatic brain injury.
According to authorities, THC was found inside Resecker’s 2014 Chevy Silverado, and toxicology confirmed active THC in his system when the crash occurred.
Prosecutors call crash a warning
Assistant District Attorneys Connor Day and Stephanie Miller, who prosecuted the case for Johnson and Somervell counties, called the crash “a sobering reminder of the irreversible consequences of impaired and reckless driving.”
Luke Resecker was initially charged with six counts of intoxication manslaughter, two counts of intoxication assault, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of marijuana.
One of the victims and the driver of the minivan, 28-year-old Rushil Barri, was from Irving. The other five victims were from Alpharetta, Georgia: Naveena Potabathula, 36; Nageswararao Ponnada, 64; Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, 60; 10-year-old Krithik Potabathula; and 9-year-old Nishidha Potabathula.
