CRITTENDEN — A 19-year-old Crittenden resident was arrested Tuesday evening and charged with two felonies after Kentucky State Police say he caused a fatal wreck that killed his best friend and injured a grandmother and her 13-year-old granddaughter.

        Christopher Brooks of the 300 block of Russell Drive, is charged with two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, a class D felony that carries a penalty of one to five years in prison. He had previously been cited for the traffic offense of driving under the influence under 21 with aggravating circumstances.

        Kentucky State Police Trooper Scott Miller said the wanton-endangerment charges are for the injuries sustained by the driver and passenger of the car Mr. Brooks crashed into. Trooper Miller said additional charges are pending in connection to the death of the passenger in Mr. Brooks' car.

        Mr. Brooks was driving his 1991 Toyota Celica north on U.S. 25 in Crittenden when he crossed the center line at 6:47 p.m. Monday and crashed head-on into another car, according to police reports.

        Mr. Brooks' best friend, 17-year-old Nathan D. Mann of Crittenden, was trapped in the car and died at the scene. Trooper Miller said the preliminary investigation indicates that Mr. Mann was wearing a seatbelt.

        Kevin Mann, Nathan's father, said the two were “like brothers” and that he treated Mr. Brooks “like a son.”

        The father said he wouldn't comment on the possibility of alcohol being a factor in the wreck until he knew all the facts surrounding the crash that killed his son.

        Kevin Mann said his son attended Grant County High School before being home schooled.

        “He (Nathan) was very easy-going, happy,” Kevin Mann said. “I didn't have a care in the world. He always had a smile on his face.”

        Mr. Brooks, a Grant County High School graduate, was treated for what police described as minor injuries.

        The Celica crashed into a blue 1999 Chevrolet Malibu driven by Shirley Scarritt, 51, of Sparta. Mrs. Scarritt was taken by helicopter to University Hospital in Cincinnati, where she was listed in fair condition Tuesday evening.

        Her granddaughter, a passenger in the car, was treated at Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati and released Tuesday morning, according to police. Trooper Miller said he would not release the name of the granddaughter without permission from her parents.

        This is just the latest deadly wreck in the Tristate involving teen-agers. The Ohio State Highway Patrol began a crackdown this week on young drivers since a Sept. 6 Warren County crash that injured seven teenagers.

        A 16-year-old Springboro girl is charged with six vehicular-assault charges as a result of that crash. Police say the teen, whom the Enquirer is not identifying because she is a juvenile, was driving a friend's sport-utility vehicle at 93 mph in a 55-mph zone along Ohio 741 in Clearcreek Township when she lost control. The group was heading to a high school football game.

        Ohio authorities say alcohol was not a factor in the Sept. 6 Warren County crash.

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