A man has been charged with vehicular homicide in an overnight crash that killed a woman inside her home while she was sleeping.
The incident was reported before 1 a.m. Monday near General George Patton Road and Sawyer Brown Road.
Officials with Metro Nashville Police said 28-year-old Michael Edward Harris was driving his 2007 Lexus when the vehicle left the roadway and struck a pole. The car traveled through several yards before crashing into the home.
Sad day in Bellevue. A woman is dead after a car slams through her house on Sawyer Brown Rd pic.twitter.com/xnPsZ0vylV
— Rebecca Schleicher (@NC5_RSchleicher) August 1, 2016
Investigators said the victim, believed to be a 71-year-old woman, was killed in the collision.
The Medical Examiner was working to confirm her identity.
One eyewitness said he saw the car speed down the road before hearing what he described as an explosion. He went inside the home to see if he could help and found the car crashed through several walls, including plumbing.
Police said Harris and his passenger, 24-year-old Cody Taylor, of Gallatin, fled the scene but were tracked down nearby.
According to investigators, both were covered in drywall dust with visible injuries consistent with having been in a crash. They said Harris refused to perform field sobriety tasks and smelled of alcohol.
He reportedly admitted to consuming alcohol but denied knowledge of being involved in a crash or the whereabouts of his car.
Harris was convicted of DUI in June 2015. He has been charged with reckless endangerment, vehicular assault, leaving the scene of a fatal crash, failure to render aid, and an open container violation.
He was jailed in lieu of $135,000 bond.
