Names Released in Fatal Newton County Crash

Names of the people involved in a fatal crash in Newton County on Friday have been released. The Newton County Sheriff’s Office has identified the deceased victim as 65 year old Mark VanVleet. The driver of the other car who survived the crash has been identified as 20 year old Darwin Cavillo Perez of Goodland. The collision happened just before 8:00 Friday night at the intersection of State Road 55 and County Road 1000 South. VanVleet was travelling east on County Road 1000 South when his pick up truck failed to yield to Perez’s car traveling northbound, due to a mechanical failure on the truck. VanVleet was pronounced dead at the scene while Perez was taken to a local hospital for minor injuries. Once released from the hospital, he was then arrested for driving without a license.