More info on the Rodney Swindle case
July 8, 2009
A Weatherford man, 49, pled guilty to racing causing death, a felony, earlier this morning.
Rodney Swindle will receive a 10-year, probated sentence, a $2,000 fine, 300 hours of community service, as well as other probation terms.
The accident, which happened in Jan. 2007, resulted in the death of Willie “B.B.” Fielder, a former Weatherford High School running back.
Drugs or alcohol use was not involved in the case, Swain said.
“The charge in this case was not related to some sort of drag race, as the offense of ‘racing’ might imply,” Jeff Swain, assistant district attorney, said. “The essential allegation in the indictment in this case is that Swindle’s vehicle was accelerating to the top of a bottleneck on South Main Street along with another vehicle and that neither would allow the other to pass, the result of which was an accident causing the death of Mr. Fielder.”
Don Schnebly, district attorney, said Fielder’s family was consulted extensively before making the decision to offer a plea.
The next hearing in the case will be July 17 at 9 a.m. in the 415th District Court. Jail time, which as a condition of probation may be up to six months, will be set for Swindle’s probabtion at that time.
