Driver of septic truck charged in fiery-collision deaths

A Helotes man is behind bars charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter in connection with a fiery January collision that claimed two lives on a dangerous stretch of Texas 46.

Robert D. Gray, 55, remained in the Kendall County Detention Center Friday in lieu of posting bonds totaling $200,000, according to jail records.

The charges follow an investigation by the Department of Public Safety, which indicated on Jan. 5 a black Mazda CX-5 headed west on 46 was involved in a collision with an eastbound septic truck that veered into the opposite lane.

Investigators named Gray as the driver of the septic truck.

The Mazda burst into flames and exploded with the driver, Phillip Michael Pena, 68, of Medina, still trapped inside. A witness and first responders tried to remove him from the car, but their attempts failed.

A female passenger in the Mazda, Marcia Ann Larochelle, 68, was pulled from the car but died later that night at University Hospital in San Antonio.

Gray also was rushed to University Hospital for his injuries.

That stretch of 46, which residents have termed as “very dangerous,” is not far from the scene of an October 2024 head-on crash that killed three members of a Pipe Creek family.

The roadway was closed for nearly five hours following the January collision.

The DPS report did not cite speed as a factor in the incident, but did show a blood screen revealed Gray tested positive for “a CNS Stimulant,” a class of drugs known for increasing energy levels and improving alertness or attentiveness.