MINDEN - Michael William Ball, accused in the traffic death of a Gardnerville mother of four, faces additional felony charges of driving under the influence of marijuana.
Deputy Douglas County District Attorney Kristine Brown filed an amended criminal complaint against Ball on Wednesday, accusing the 23-year-old Gardnerville man of causing the July 16 accident in the Gardnerville Ranchos while under the influence of marijuana.
Brown filed two charges of driving with a prohibited amount of controlled substance in the blood resulting in death or substantial bodily harm. Ball, in Douglas County Jail on $200,000 bail, already faced two counts of reckless driving causing substantial bodily harm or death.
Tamra Dykes, 46, of Gardnerville, the driver of the other vehicle, was killed instantly in the two-car crash. Ball's passenger, Travis Hayes, was injured. If Ball is convicted of all charges, he faces up to 32 years in prison.
At the time of the accident, Ball was free on $10,000 bail following a July 8 arrest for felony possession of methamphetamine and misdemeanor drug paraphernalia. Ball has been in trouble several times during the past three years and has served more than 600 days in jail, according to Sgt. Lance Modispacher of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
According to reports filed by Douglas County deputies who questioned Ball at the scene of the July 16 accident, he said he had "used grass, meth and crank within the last two days" prior to the crash.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Ball before East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl at 8 a.m. today on the charges in the traffic accident.
