BROOKINGS — A Davis man involved in a fatal wreck on Interstate 29 near exit 132 more than a year ago has been indicted and charged with manslaughter.

James Vaniperen, 41, was indicted by a Brooking County grand jury on March 14 and charged with second-degree manslaughter, a Class 4 felony. It is punishable by up to 10 years in jail, a $20,000 fine or both.

According to a report from the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, Vaniperen was driving a 202 Mack Anthem truck and tanker on Nov. 16, 2022, when it struck a stationary 2020 Chevy Equinox driven by Kelley Rodriguez, 40, of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Both vehicles ended up in the east ditch. Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene, while Vaniperen sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Both drivers were wearing seat belts.

A joint investigation of the South Dakota Highway Patrol and the South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigation led to the case being referred to the grand jury.

The driver’s cellphone activity leading up to the wreck was a focus of that investigation, according to a source familiar with the case.

A warrant was issued for Vaniperen’s arrest after the grand jury’s indictment.

Davis is a town in Turner County, south of Sioux Falls. The population was 54 at the 2020 census.