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A trial date of May 22-23 has been set for Dayton Paul Souder, who is charged with vehicular homicide by recklessness, as well as criminally negligent homicide and reckless aggravated assault.

A plea deadline of May 1 was set by Carter County Circuit Court Judge Alex Pearson, who presided over court Wednesday.

Souder, a former Johnson City fire chief, was charged with vehicular homicide in November 2024 after a pedestrian crash in January 2024.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol reported that on the morning of Jan. 24, 2024, a Honda CR-V was driving on Highway 19E. The Honda reportedly left the lane of travel and ran onto the right shoulder of the road, striking a pedestrian identified as 58-year-old Vicky Yelton Hughes.

The driver of the Honda was identified as Dayton Paul Souder of Elizabethton. Souder, who retired as Johnson City fire chief in 2002, was employed by the city of Johnson City for 29 years.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol, which investigated the accident, reported that on the morning of Jan. 24, 2024, a Honda CR-V was driving on Highway 19E. The Honda reportedly left the lane of travel and ran onto the right shoulder of the road, striking a pedestrian identified as Hughes.