Charges filed against drunken driver who hit and killed wrecker operator last year

A Wagoner County man was formally charged with manslaughter for striking and killing a wrecker operator while he was intoxicated in November 2022.

District 27 District Attorney Jack Thorp charged Robert Marshall, 76, with first-degree manslaughter on Aug. 21. According to the affidavit, Red Beard’s Towing wrecker driver John Mills, 31, was loading a disabled Tesla on the shoulder of U.S. Highway 69 when Marshall struck him with his 2006 Cadillac DTS.

“The Cadillac departed the roadway to the right, entered the shoulder, and impacted the Tesla. The Cadillac then impacted Mills and the right-side tires began driving up the ramp of the rollback, causing the Cadillac to roll onto its top,” the affidavit stated.

Marshall was transported to St. Francis hospital in Muskogee where his blood was drawn. On April 12, a report from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation indicated that Marshall’s blood alcohol level exceeded the legal limit.

According to the information report, Marshall was under the influence of alcohol and morphine at the time of the crash. A bench warrant was issued Aug. 21.