Driver indicted in Bibb County DUI crash that killed 60-year-old grandfather of 6
A McCalla man has been charged in a DUI crash that killed another man earlier this year.
A Bibb County grand jury indicted William Brooks Foster, 24, on charges of reckless murder and DUI. Killed was 60-year-old Gerald Wayne McRee of West Blocton.
The indictment was issued Dec. 1 and made public Tuesday.
The crash happened around 5:40 a.m. Saturday, May 27, on Alabama State Route 5, about 5 miles south of Woodstock.
Alabama State Troopers said McRee was driving a pickup struck when he was struck by Foster, who was also driving a pickup truck.
McRee was pronounced dead on the scene. Foster was taken to Bibb Medical Center in Centreville.
The indictment states Foster was under the influence of alcohol when he hit McRee’s truck.
Foster was taken into custody Tuesday and booked into the Bibb County Jail with bond set at $60,000. Under his bond conditions, he is now allowed to drive and must submit to weekly drug and alcohol testing.
Court records show Foster was arrested in 2020 on DUI charge, also in Bibb Couty. He pleaded guilty but that plea was set aside, and the charge dismissed after he completed a drug diversion program.
McRee was survived by his wife of 42 years, Rhonda, as well as a daughter, a son, and six grandchildren.
McRee was the owner of Wayne’s Concrete for 38 years, according to his obituary.
“He took pride in his work and loved what he did. He was one of the hardest workers you’d ever meet, and he cared greatly for the many people he worked alongside over the years,’’ the obituary reads. “Any would say he never met a stranger and loved to make people laugh.”
In his free time, McRee enjoyed working in his garden and crappie fishing.
“Wayne lived a simple life and those he shared his life with were most important to him,’’ the obituary said. “He left a legacy that will live on through all those he has touched with his larger-than-life personality over the years. They say character is how you treat those that can do nothing for you, and he truly lived by that.”
A trial date for Foster has not yet been set.