A 17-year-old boy died in a crash on a forest road near Forest Lakes on July 3, and less than two months later, two Valley men are facing charges connected to his death. The Coconino County Sheriff's Office says 19-year-old Carter Travis of Glendale and 25-year-old Joseph Ohlendorf of Tempe were arrested in late August after detectives built a case that stretched across the summer.
According to the Coconino County Sheriff's Office, the crash happened on Forest Service Road 330 in the Forest Lakes area, and Arizona Department of Public Safety personnel responded to the scene. Detectives worked with DPS investigators over the following two months, obtaining additional vehicle data and conducting witness interviews before identifying evidence that supported criminal charges against both men, the sheriff's office said.
Travis was booked on second-degree homicide, DUI in the extreme degree, DUI in the slightest degree, and aggravated assault, as reported by 12News. The Coconino County Sheriff's Office and Fox 10 Phoenix both report the full list of charges against Travis also includes three counts of aggravated assault and one count of felony endangerment.
Second Suspect Accused of Supplying Alcohol
Ohlendorf was booked on a single count of manslaughter, per 12News's reporting. Fox 10 Phoenix notes that Ohlendorf's charges also include four separate counts of furnishing alcohol to minors, suggesting prosecutors are treating him as the adult who allegedly supplied alcohol to the underage group involved in the crash.
Arizona law defines second-degree murder as causing death without premeditation through reckless conduct that manifests extreme indifference to human life, per the Brian DiPietro Law. The Class 1 felony carries a state prison sentence of 10 to 29 years.
Furnishing alcohol to a minor is prohibited in Arizona and can carry up to six months in jail, according to the CHM Law. With four counts filed against Ohlendorf, prosecutors have charged him with multiple furnishing offenses.
A Dangerous Stretch of Mountain Road
Forest Service Road 330 is in the Forest Lakes area, which has seen repeated fatal crashes in recent years. Hoodline previously reported on a Labor Day head-on crash near Heber that killed four people on the same highway corridor.
Statewide, the danger extends well beyond this one stretch of forest road. Impairment, lack of seatbelt use and distracted driving are among the road-safety concerns discussed in statewide data.
Both suspects hail from the Phoenix metro area. Travis lives in Glendale, while Ohlendorf lives in Tempe.
The relationship between the two suspects and the teenage victim, along with the specific speed and telemetry findings extracted from the crash vehicle, has not been detailed publicly. The Coconino County Sheriff's Office has not released further information beyond the charges filed against Travis and Ohlendorf following the two-month investigation.
