WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A man charged in a crash that killed longtime radio host and Wichita State University basketball announcer Don Hall had an empty alcohol bottle in his vehicle and told officers who asked him how much he had to drink that it was “probably too much,” according to court records.
An affidavit released Tuesday in the case against Ray Watkins said he had a 0.243 blood alcohol on the day of the April 29 crash that killed Hall, who was 70. The legal limit in Kansas is 0.08, KWCH reports.
Watkins faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence.
Officers found Watkins still seated in his vehicle and noticed an empty alcohol bottle at his feet, according to the affidavit. When Watkins moved over to the passenger’s seat due to his door being jammed shut, an officer noticed an empty Modelo beer bottle on the passenger’s side floorboard, according to the affidavit.
In an interview, he admitted to drinking beer prior to driving, according to the affidavit.
Hall was a morning show co-host at KEYN Radio in Wichita, and radio station KNSS reported he had worked for more than 45 years in radio in Kansas, including stations KWBW in Hutchinson and Wichita radio stations KAKZ, KKRD and KZSN. He also had been the voice of Shocker men’s basketball since the 1983-84 season