At about 4:10pm Thursday, Turlock Police Officer Fortado arrived at a residence in the 4000 block of Enclave Drive to conduct follow-up in a fatal traffic collision case.

Turlock City News previously reported that during the afternoon of Friday, December 29th, 2023, Turlock Police, Turlock Fire, and American Medical Response had responded to a traffic collision with injuries at the intersection of W. Christoffersen Parkway and N. Kilroy Road.

When units arrived on scene, they found three vehicles involved, including a black Dodge Journey that had rolled over and landed back on its tires on the sidewalk.

There were a total of eight patients who were transported by American Medical Response to local hospitals, a majority of whom suffered minor injuries.

One of the occupants of the black Journey, Johnathan Williams, 48, of Turlock, suffered life-threatening injuries that required immediate care. He was also transported to a local hospital, where he unfortunately succumbed to his injuries.

Williams was the coach of Turlock Girls’ Basketball and was reportedly on his way to a game when the collision occurred.

Members of the police department’s Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) were called out to the scene to take over the investigation, resulting in the roadway being closed for nearly six hours as they canvassed the area, gathering evidence and measurements.

After MAIT was done investigating, two of the three involved vehicles were seized as evidence and towed back to the Turlock Police Department, while the third was towed away at the owner’s request.

After a long month-and-a-half investigation, Fortado was ready to make an arrest in the case.

The 17-year-old boy who’d been driving the white Toyota Camry when it was involved in the collision was arrested at his residence without incident.

He was booked into Stanislaus County Juvenile Hall on charges of vehicular manslaughter, violation of a restricted license’s provisions, driving at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent, and reckless driving causing bodily injury to another person.

“The Turlock Police Department extends their support and deepest condolences to Coach Williams’ family, friends, and students,” said Turlock Police. “We would like to remind the community the importance of following all traffic laws and how dangerous speeding can be.”