Arkansas State Police arrest Lawrence County man accused of unattended field fire that led to October 2023 16-car pileup

CASH, Ark. – A Lawrence County man is in jail and facing charges in connection with an October 2023 pileup in northeast Arkansas that ended with two people dead.

Troopers with the Arkansas State Police arrested 55-year-old Charles Benham of Alicia Wednesday, booking him into the Jackson County Detention Center. Prosecutors say he is facing a charge of felony reckless burning.

Court documents state that Benham was an employee of Cason Farms and was overseeing the burning of a Jackson County field owned by Cason on Oct. 3, 2003. The documents go on to say that investigators determined that Benham had left the fire unattended for around 30 minutes before he returned to the area.

The field that was being burned was near Mile Marker 102 on U.S. Highway 67, and officials with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture said at the time of the fire the wind was blowing south toward the highway.

Smoke from the fire severely limited visibility on the road, ASP investigators noted, covering all four lanes of traffic and causing a chain reaction of wrecks.

Dispatchers started getting 911 calls around 2:14 p.m. about a multi-car crash on the highway.  ASP, local first responders and medical personnel all rushed to the scene, but they were also hindered in response because of the smoke.

In total, 16 vehicles were involved in the pileup crash. Two people, 68-year-old Thomas Blevins and 55-year-old Terry Lutz, both of Ohio, died from injuries sustained in the crash. Authorities said there were numerous other injuries from other drivers involved in the crashes.

Reckless burning is a Class D felony in Arkansas and could carry up to a six-year prison sentence & a fine of up to $10,000.

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