Hurst man charged with manslaughter in fatal motorcycle wreck

A 31-year-old Hurst man was charged Thursday with manslaughter in connection with a Jan. 22 wreck that left a motorcyclist fatally injured.

Jesse Ray Holder was traveling in a truck south on Crowley Road, approaching the North Crowley-Cleburne Road intersection, when he collided with the turning motorcyclist, said Officer Tracy Carter, a police spokesman.

The motorcyclist had a protected green arrow, Carter said.

“According to witnesses, it appears the suspect was traveling at a high rate of speed and was reaching for his phone at the time of impact,” Carter said.

The motorcyclist — 39-year-old Jason Johnson of Fort Worth — was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital and died Feb. 6 from his injuries.

Holder was arrested on a manslaughter warrant Tuesday. He remained held Thursday in the Mansfield jail with bail set at $25,000.

Tarrant County court records show Holder had plead guilty in April to possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) in exchange for two years deferred-adjudication probation.

This story was originally published June 22, 2017 at 2:33 PM with the headline "Hurst man charged with manslaughter in fatal motorcycle wreck."