KALB Digital Team
Jun 7, 2023
Christopher McCoy taken into custody in Avoyelles Parish after death of Lauren Vaughn
AVOYELLES PARISH, La. (KALB) - The driver behind the wheel during an April crash in Avoyelles Parish that led to the death of an Alexandria woman has been arrested.
According to Louisiana State Police, Christopher R. McCoy, 23, of Bunkie, was taken into custody on June 7 (Wednesday). He is facing charges of vehicular homicide, DWI first offense, reckless operation, no seat belt and having an open container. LSP also shared that McCoy’s blood alcohol level was 0.15 percent - almost double the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
In LSP’s initial release about the crash, troopers shared that on April 7 around 7:40 p.m., McCoy was driving a GMC Sierra on Louisiana Highway 1176 when the truck left the road and entered a ditch before hitting a culvert and a tree then flipping onto its roof. Lauren Vaughn, 22, of Alexandria, was a passenger in the vehicle and died as a result of her injuries, while McCoy sustained moderate injuries.
Despite being booked into the Avoyelles Parish jail, a mugshot for McCoy will not be released under Louisiana’s mugshot law, which was updated in 2022. According to that law, mugshots are released for those charged with crimes of violence. Vehicular homicide is considered a crime of violence, but has stipulations under the law, specifically that a charge is a violent crime “when the operator’s blood alcohol concentration exceeds 0.20 percent.” Since McCoy’s BAC was 0.15 percent, it does not apply.
McCoy was released from jail around 3:25 p.m. (June 7) on a $50,000 bond.