Woman charged with manslaughter following fatal crash

Muskogee Phoenix (OK)

Jun. 26--Joshua Jackson's mother Debra Adney remembers him as the "patriarch" of their family, she said.

"He brought us all together," Adney said. "We used to have Fourth of July parties at his house that the city itself couldn't put on."

Jackson, 32, of Muskogee, died Saturday following an 11 p.m. collision Friday on North York Street between his 2004 Harley-Davidson motorcycle and a 2007 Dodge Nitro driven by Addison Clark, 29, of Muskogee, according to an affidavit filed with the case. Jackson's wife, Emilie, also was on the motorcycle and was injured in the crash.

The responding officer to the scene found Clark with a "strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on her person," as well as an open container of alcohol in her vehicle, the affidavit states. She was subsequently arrested.

"It's broken our family," said Joshua Jackson's cousin, Emma. "He was the glue that held us together."

Clark was charged Tuesday with manslaughter, driving under the influence and causing great bodily harm, transporting an open container, failure to yield, failure to carry insurance, and driving with license suspended.

Clark appeared in court via video feed, where she told Special District Court Judge Robin Adair she would need a lawyer. Adair set Clark's next court date on July 9, and set her bond at $100,000 -- which Jackson's family denounced.

"You get $100,000 for a (drug) manufacturing charge," Adney said. "It's not enough. She killed a human being."

Adney said Clark "took Josh away" from a large circle of family and friends, including two brothers and five sisters.

"Emilie now does not have a husband, and her children don't have a dad," Adney said. "He was my first born child. He made me a mother."

Adney described her son as a friendly, sociable man who made friends easily.

"Josh was a very good man," she said. "He never met a stranger."

Moore said Jackson was the sort of person who would take extra time while shopping to visit with friends.

"He was why trips to Walmart always took an hour and a half," Moore said. "He would see you and say 'hey!' and then follow you until you answered him. He was the life of the party."

Adney said she believed Clark should receive a life sentence.

"She robbed Josh of watching his children grow up. He won't ever get to walk his daughters down the aisle. He won't ever get to be a grandpa," Adney said. "I think she should spend her life in prison, and count her lucky stars that someone can bring her kids to see her."

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