Lorenza Dorsey—CAPTAIN
AUBURN, Ala.- On Aug. 6, 2019, Auburn Police arrested Robert Anthony Lockwood, age 45, from Montgomery, Alabama on a Lee County Grand Jury indictment for manslaughter.
The arrest stems from an investigation into a July 25, 2018, accident on I-85 northbound in Auburn. A tanker truck filled with jet fuel, driven by Lockwood, struck the back of a 2013 Kia Soul driven by 20-year-old Auburn University student, Cassidy Meadows, killing her instantly. The collision set off a chain reaction that resulted in I-85 being shut down for a number of hours while Auburn Police investigated the incident. The subsequent investigation revealed that Lockwood was distracted by an electronic device while operating the tractor trailer and did not brake until after striking Meadows’ vehicle. The Lee County District Attorney presented the case to a Grand Jury resulting in Lockwood’s indictment.
Lockwood was arrested by Houston County authorities in the early morning hours of Aug. 6, 2019, as a result of the indictment, and later returned to Auburn for processing. Lockwood was later transported to the Lee County Jail where he was being held on a $30,000 bond. This case remains under investigation by the Auburn Police Division, Alabama State Troopers, Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences and Lee County Coroner’s Office.