A Utah man who was allegedly high on meth and driving as fast as 100 miles per hour on Monday evening ran a stop sign and crashed into a set of horse stables where two 3-year-old boys were playing, instantly killing both of them, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office said.
Kent Cody Barlow, 25, was seriously injured in the wreck and flown by helicopter to a hospital in Provo but was released after being treated. He is currently facing two counts of automobile homicide with criminal negligence, possession of a controlled substance, DUI with serious bodily injury, speeding at 100 mph, and other charges.
Witnesses told deputies that they saw Barlow “driving recklessly” as fast as 100 mph and “weaving or drifting into oncoming traffic” around 7:20 p.m. in Eagle Mountain, a city about 40 miles south of downtown Salt Lake City.
“The car went off the paved road to the right, shattered a vinyl rail fence, smashed through a five rail steel pole fence, smashed through another section of that same steel pole fence, then crashed through a fence panel corral, then hit a large cement block anchored in the ground, launched into the air, and then into a lean-to style set of horse stables, coming to a stop upside down,” the Utah County Sheriff’s Office said.
The two 3-year-old boys were playing with toys in an animal corral when they were struck by Barlow’s vehicle and thrown more than 75 feet, according to the sheriff’s office. They were both killed instantly.
Three passengers in the vehicle were transported to local hospitals for treatment.
A preliminary drug screen of Barlow, who was on parole at the time of the crash, tested positive for methamphetamine.
In 2019, Barlow was arrested after allegedly stealing a police car with two guns inside and leading police on a chase, according to KTVX.
“We of the Utah County Sheriff’s Office express our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of these two sweet boys. Their loss is a senseless tragedy and we can only imagine the depth of the grief now being carried by their families.”
