CORRIGAN, TEXAS — A truck driver and a trucking company owner are facing felony charges in connection with the alleged destruction of dash camera evidence following a deadly 2023 crash on Highway 59 that killed two college students, according to court records.

A grand jury has indicted 70-year-old truck driver Antonio Sandoval Jr. and 53-year-old trucking company owner Marlin Kendall Hughes, accusing them of intentionally or knowingly altering, destroying, or concealing digital evidence — including dash cam footage — to impair its availability during a criminal investigation. According to KTRE, the charges stem from a tractor-trailer crash that occurred in Angelina County along Highway 59 in Corrigan.

Investigators say Sandoval failed to yield the right of way while entering Highway 59 in 2023, causing a collision that killed Stephen F. Austin State University students Micah McAfoose and Graylan Spring. Sandoval was originally investigated for negligent homicide, but a jury later found insufficient evidence to indict him on those charges.

The new indictments focus on what prosecutors say happened after the crash. Authorities allege that Sandoval and Hughes falsely denied the existence of a dash camera in the semi-truck and failed to turn over the device or any storage media during the investigation. Evidence that a dash cam system existed only surfaced later during civil proceedings filed by the Spring family.

According to court records, the family’s attorney obtained Texas Department of Public Safety body camera footage showing a dash camera mounted inside the truck during the initial response to the crash scene. Sandoval later admitted he removed the camera from the truck in January 2023 after the crash and placed it in a bag, which he gave to Hughes. He acknowledged knowing the footage would be important to investigators but denied deleting files, copying video, or removing an SD card.

When investigators eventually recovered the dash camera, no data was found on the device. It remains unclear whether the data was wiped or if the storage media was damaged. Hughes has since admitted he instructed Sandoval to give him the camera and that he concealed its existence from law enforcement, according to KTRE.

Hughes’ attorney disputed the allegations in court, stating, “Mr. Hughes is a highly respected businessman and valued member of the Polk County community. He has no prior criminal history and did not commit a crime in this case. We look forward to presenting our case in court.”

The case highlights ongoing scrutiny surrounding post-crash evidence handling in commercial truck incidents, particularly when dash cameras may play a critical role in determining fault and accountability.

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