MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. (WHNT) — A 19-year-old Muscle Shoals man accused of killing another while driving under the influence was indicted on Friday.
Muscle Shoals Police said that Frederic Jason Rider was the focus of a traffic homicide investigation after a January 2025 crash left Trennon Wade Putnam, 58, of Florence, dead.
Rider has been charged with manslaughter and driving under the influence of a controlled substance. He was arrested in June on a warrant for manslaughter.
At the time of the crash, police said Rider was driving south of the railroad overpass on Wilson Dam Road when he hit Putnam’s vehicle. Authorities said that both vehicles were then hit by a freightliner belonging to the City of Florence.
The Colbert County Coroner Justin Gasque said Putnam was pronounced dead at the scene. Rider was taken to Huntsville Hospital for treatment.
According to the toxicology report, THC was present in his system, as well as benzoylecgonine, which is a major metabolite of cocaine.
Court documents show that Rider was arrested on August 10 for two counts of first-degree theft after he attempted to steal a motorized shopping cart from Walmart. He was taken into custody during a traffic stop on the scooter he was reported to be stealing.
Rider is currently being held at the Colbert County Jail on his theft charges with a bond of $10,000.
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