Man charged with intoxication manslaughter
Posted/updated on: February 4, 2026 at 3:31 pm
KILGORE – Chad Adamson, 43 of Tatum, involved in a fatal December wreck, was arrested this weekend. Adamson turned himself in to the Gregg County Jail on an intoxication manslaughter charge. His bond was set at $25,000 and he was released from the jail Monday.
A probable cause affidavit states that on December 9, while intoxicated, Adamson caused Christine Donley’s death in a two-vehicle collision on US 259 in Kilgore. According to the arrest report, Adamson struck Donley’s car after crossing the median and traveling south in the northbound lane.
Inside Adamson’s vehicle, Kilgore police found an empty jar of moonshine. During an interview with authorities, he reportedly could not remember what transpired the day of the crash. He was the only person in the vehicle, but asked if his children were okay.
According to police, his eyes were “red and glassy.” A test showed that his blood alcohol concentration level was at 0.14. The legal limit in Texas is 0.08, the document stated.
