Auburn police charge teen with manslaughter in deaths of Rod, Paula Bramblett
AUBURN — A teenager was arrested Monday as a result of the car accident that killed longtime Auburn radio broadcaster Rod Bramblett and his wife, Paula Bramblett.
Johnston Edward Taylor, 16, of Auburn, was charged with two counts of manslaughter, according to a release from the Auburn Police Department.
The crash occurred on Saturday evening, May 25, on Shug Jordan Parkway near West Samford Avenue. An investigation into the crash concluded that Taylor's vehicle "was traveling at an excessive rate of speed, well over the posted 55-mph speed limit, when the crash occurred."
A toxicological analysis report from the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences also confirmed the presence of marijuana in Taylor's system.
Taylor was charged as an adult (per Alabama Criminal Code 12-15-204) and taken into custody at his home Monday. He was transported to Lee County Jail, where he is being held on a $50,000 bond.
MORE: Auburn has lost its voice, but Rod Bramblett will never be forgotten
Rod Bramblett, 53, a 1988 graduate from Auburn University, had been calling games for the Tigers since 1993, starting with baseball. He took over the late Jim Fyffe as the voice of Auburn Tigers football and men's basketball in 2003.
Paula Bramblett worked in the Auburn University IT department. They met in Valley, where they both grew up, and were married for nearly 30 years before their deaths in May. They had two children, daughter Shelby (a student at Auburn University) and son Joshua (a student at Auburn High School).
Photo gallery: Friends, family remember Rod and Paula Bramblett at service
Josh Vitale is the Auburn beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. You can follow him on Twitter at @JoshVitale. To reach him by email, click here.
Memorial service for Rod and Paula Bramblett at Auburn Arena in Auburn, Ala., on Thursday, May 30, 2019. On Saturday, Rod Bramblett, the voice of Auburn Tigers, and his wife Paula died from injuries suffered in a car wreck.