A spokesperson for the Rutherford County school system confirmed that the man charged with vehicular homicide by intoxication for the Sunday morning crash that killed a 51-year-old female was a band director at La Vergne Middle School and had worked for the district since August 2023, reports WSMV.
John Baudendistel, 28, is charged with vehicular homicide by intoxication for Sunday’s 4 a.m. multi-vehicle crash on I-24 East near the Bell Road exit that killed the 51-year-old female driver of a Nissan Sentra.
While the exact order of events is still under investigation, all four involved vehicles were traveling east on I-24 when it appears that the first collision occurred between the driver of a 2015 Suburu Crosstrek and the driver of a 2003 Honda Accord. Both of those drivers fled on foot, leaving their vehicles behind. There was evidence of alcohol involvement in both the Suburu and the Honda Accord.
A Nissan Rogue, driven by Baudendistel, struck the victim’s Sentra from behind. It appears that she may have been slowing to avoid the initial collision between the hit-and-run drivers. The driver of the Nissan Sentra, who was from Murfreesboro, was transported to Vanderbilt where she died.
Officers who first responded to the scene observed that Baudendistel had glossy, red eyes, and slurred speech. He admitted to consuming alcoholic beverages prior to the crash. An open container of an alcoholic beverage was in the Rogue’s center console. Baudendistel showed signs of impairment during standard field sobriety tasks and consented to a blood draw. He is free on $25,000 bond.
Anyone with information about the two hit-and-run drivers is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and qualify for a cash reward.
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