Cornell’s death may lead to charges

Criminal charges are pending after one of the victims of a June 26 car wreck died last week.

Longtime Clarendon businessman and former county commissioner C.W. “Dude” Cornell died July 7 while being treated in an Amarillo hospital for injuries he sustained 11 days earlier.

Cornell, age 86, had been eastbound on US 287 in Clarendon on June 26 when his vehicle was struck by another vehicle driven by 34-year-old Gina Canon, also of Clarendon.

Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn said an investigation of the accident is ongoing and that his office is waiting on a report from the Department of Public Safety and the final results of an autopsy that was performed last Wednesday, July 9.

“This is still under investigation, and we fully expect to charge Miss Canon with the highest charge the law will allow,” Blackburn said. “The public can rest assured that we will prosecute this to the fullest.”

Local officials have received preliminary results of Cornell’s autopsy, but that information was not released at press time. Final autopsy results will not be available for about 45 days, Blackburn said.

Services for Cornell were held last Thursday, July 10, at the First Baptist Church in Clarendon.