Guilty plea in two-fatality highway wreck

LONGVIEW – A Tyler native pleaded guilty to four separate charges on Thursday related to a crash that killed two young boys on State Highway 149 near Lakeport last year. According to our news partner KETK, Hayden Malone, 22, pleaded guilty to two charges of intoxication manslaughter and two separate charges of intoxication assault. Malone has remained in jail since he was arrested Jan. 13, 2022 — the day of the crash that reportedly killed a two-year-old and five-month-old. The boys had been taken to separate hospitals where they later died from their injuries.

At the time of the crash, DPS reported that Mercedes Cole, 24, of Longview, was preparing to turn into the parking lot of the Dollar General on SH 149 when her car was hit by Malone. Cole had been carrying five passengers, including the two boys, at the time of the crash. Malone’s bond is $600,000, and his sentence has not yet been determined.