A Daviess County man has been charged with murder in a DUI crash that took the life of an Owensboro man.
The Daviess County Sheriff’s Office said the crash occurred on September 10, 2025, at 5:30 a.m. in the 8500 block of Hwy 144 in the Ensor community in eastern Daviess County.
The investigation showed that a westbound truck, being driven by 31-year-old Joseph W. Prater, of Owensboro, was struck head-on when an eastbound SUV, being driven by 34-year-old Charles T. Mattingly, of Owensboro, crossed the center line, the sheriff’s office said.
Prater was pronounced deceased at the scene. Mattingly was airlifted to University of Louisville Hospital.
Mattingly was arrested on Thursday after being indicted earlier this week by a Daviess County Grand Jury for murder and DUI (controlled substance). He was indicted after lab tests showed he was under the influence of a controlled substance at the time of the crash, according to the sheriff’s office.
Mattingly was lodged in the Daviess County Detention Center on a $100,000 cash bond.
(Note: The Daviess Co. Sheriff’s Office in a press release said that Joseph W. Prater was from Reynolds Station while his obituary states he was from Owensboro)
(Photo l-r: Charles T. Mattingly; Joseph W. Prater, courtesy of Haley McGinnis Funeral Home & Crematory)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
