Nearly three years after a drunken crash that left a mangled mess of a half-dozen vehicles and their occupants in the heart of Beaumont’s west end, the alleged assailant still awaits the ends of justice.
Texas-based billionaire Walter Eugene “Loddie” Naymola, pried from the wreckage of his own “4Horn” work truck and treated at the hospital June 22, 2022, was later cited for drunkenly barreling through private property near Phelan Blvd at Downlen Road before crushing lines of vehicles at the intersection on Gladys Avenue at Dowlen Road, in front of a middle school on a regular school day – mid-morning.
Scheduled time and time again on the Jefferson County Criminal District Court docket in 2022, 2023 and 2024 with no movement toward the ends of justice, Naymola has now welcomed 2025 with another docket call – and another delay of prosecution settled behind closed doors.
In other courtrooms, behind-the-scenes revelations of the crash’s aftermath are given detail. Motorist Tiffany Barnaby, 21 years old at the time of the collision, swore in an affidavit that her life was forever changed when Naymola, “suddenly and without warning … violently crashed into the back of (her) vehicle.”
According to Barnaby’s account, she suffered “severe personal injuries” including physical disfigurement, mental anguish and the loss of her vehicle. Several others impacted by Naymola’s drunk driving that June lunchtime in 2022 filed claims against the billionaire, as well, claiming “severe and disabling injuries,” among other detriments.
A pair of law enforcement crash reports covering the crash detailed Naymola’s blue 2021 Dodge Ram 1500, with a license plate reading “4HORN,” as beginning on a path of peril prior to hitting Barnaby’s car and causing a pileup six-vehicles deep.
“It left the roadway and struck some trees, shrubs and a sprinkler system,” the witness said of Naymola’s driving on his way to the Gladys and Dowlen intersection at 12:55 p.m. “It then traversed through the parking lot and then onto the street in the 300 block of Dowlen Road.
“It crossed the two lanes of traffic before striking a metal light pole.”
A few minutes later, the driver of the truck bearing “4HORN” license plates was again the subject of a call to police – many calls to police, actually. The second BPD report regarding the six-car accident at the intersection of Dowlen and Gladys reports that witnesses saw Naymola’s vanity-plated “4HORN” truck barreling down Dowlen “at a high rate of speed” when he drove into the southbound lanes at the Westgate intersection “to get around traffic.”
Instead of clearing traffic, witnesses advised, Naymola slammed into Barnaby’s vehicle “and became airborne,” prompting a chain-reaction of collisions that left eight injured as reported at the scene of the crash, including several children. Officers at the scene listed “intoxication assault – citation number (2022-12357)” as a pending charge for Naymola but, due to his reported injuries, the billionaire was taken to the hospital rather than jail.
In August 2022, Naymola was indicted on three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He reported to the jail and posting immediate bond.
Now, his appearances are held by his attorneys; during a trial docket call June 2, Naymola was set to appear and announce ready for trial or explain why he’s not ready for trial, but was never brought before the judge.
At the onset, Naymola’s attorneys requested private conversation with the court.
“I’ve got some issues,” attorney Ryan Gertz told the court, with co-counsel adding in that more detail would be given outside of the public eye. After an hour “in camera” or “in private,” the parties (still sans Naymola) reappeared and announced that the undefined matter had been settled.
Prosecutor Mike Laird advised he had no issues moving forward to trial and had long since given a fair plea bargain offer – which was rejected. More than a year ago, Jan. 3, 2024, prosecutor Pat Knauth reported ready to proceed to trial in three pending aggravated assault cases against Naymola indicted in 2022.