Retired Waco truck driver who pleaded guilty in DWI wreck that killed wife gets probation

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - A retired truck driver from Waco whose wife was killed in an April 2020 drunken driving incident was placed on probation Wednesday.

Darrell Wayne Hood, 65, pleaded guilty in January to intoxication manslaughter in a car crash in the 1400 block of Dallas Street in which his wife, Wanda Kaye Hood, was killed.

Prosecutors recommended that Hood be placed on probation for four years, and 54th State District Judge Susan Kelly followed that recommendation Wednesday during a sentencing hearing.

The judge also required Hood to serve 120 days in the county jail as a condition of probation and gave him credit for the 39 days he spent in jail after his arrest. Kelly also ordered him to perform 300 hours of community service while on probation.

“I know you have lost your wife, which is probably punishment enough,” Kelly told Hood. Hood nodded in agreement.

Hood’s attorney, Jessi Freud, said that while Hood’s children remain heartbroken over the death of their mother, they have forgiven their father and support him.

“Mr. Hood is appreciative that the court signed off on the plea agreement and he is ready to complete his obligations to probation. He and his family will continue to miss Wanda all day, every day,” Freud said.

According to an arrest affidavit, witnesses told police the couple appeared to be arguing in the car. The witness reported she saw the woman reach over and “grab the steering wheel and that they lost control and hit the curb.”

Darrell Hood admitted to police he drank a 12-ounce beer and a liquor shot. However, he declined a police request for a sample of his blood, according to the affidavit.

Police obtained a search warrant for a blood draw, which showed a blood-alcohol content of 0.162 percent, more than twice the legal limit to be considered intoxicated.

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