I-75 truck driver will not fight extradition to Hamilton County

Ben Brewer appears before Judge T. Bruce Bell on charges of trafficking methamphetamines and criminal mischief during a preliminary hearing at Fayetteville County District Court in Lexington, Ky., on August 19, 2015. Brewer, the semi-truck driver involved in the I-75 accident in June that killed six people, was arrested in Lexington, Ky. on August 7, 2015 and faces charges in Tennessee.

By Shelly Bradbury August 20, 2015 4 min read

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I-75 truck driver will not fight extradition to Hamilton County

Ben Brewer speaks to public defender Erin Lueker while appearing before Judge T. Bruce Bell on charges of trafficking methamphetamines and criminal mischief during a preliminary hearing at Fayetteville County District Court in Lexington, Ky., on August 19, 2015. Brewer, the semi-truck driver involved in the I-75 accident in June that killed six people, was arrested in Lexington, Ky. on August 7, 2015 and faces charges in Tennessee.

John Cornett, the attorney representing Charity Pennington, fiance of Ben Brewer, the semi-truck driver involved in the I-75 accident in June that killed six people, converses while defending her in Judge T. Bruce Bellճ courtroom on August 19 ,2015. Pennington, facing charges of trafficking meth and hindering apprehension, was taken into custody for failing to take a drug test before appearing in court on Wednesday.

Charity Pennington, fiance of Ben Brewer, the semi-truck driver involved in the I-75 accident in June that killed six people, reacts to the Judge T. Bruce Bellճ decision to take her into custody during her preliminary hearing for failing to complete a drug test before appearing in court on August 19 ,2015. Pennington faces charges of trafficking meth and hindering apprehension.

Charity Pennington, fiance of Ben Brewer, the semi-truck driver involved in the I-75 accident in June that killed six people, appears before Judge T. Bruce Bell during her preliminary hearing for failing to complete a drug test before appearing in court on August 19 ,2015. Pennington faces charges of trafficking meth and hindering apprehension.

Ben Brewer is taken back into custody after appearing before Judge T. Bruce Bell on charges of trafficking methamphetamines and criminal mischief during a preliminary hearing at Fayetteville County District Court in Lexington, Ky., on August 19, 2015. Brewer, the semi-truck driver involved in the I-75 accident in June that killed six people, was arrested in Lexington, Ky. on August 7, 2015 and faces charges in Tennessee.

Public defender Erin Lueker represents Ben Brewer while appearing before Judge T. Bruce Bell on charges of trafficking methamphetamines and criminal mischief during a preliminary hearing at Fayetteville County District Court in Lexington, Ky., on August 19, 2015. Brewer, the semi-truck driver involved in the I-75 accident in June that killed six people, was arrested in Lexington, Ky. on August 7, 2015 and faces charges in Tennessee.

Lexington Police Officer J.A. Ramirez recounts how U.S. Marshals tracked Ben Brewer's cell phone to the shopping plaza where he was caught during a preliminary hearing at Fayetteville County District Court in Lexington, Ky., on August 19, 2015. Brewer, the semi-truck driver involved in the I-75 accident in June that killed six people, was arrested in Lexington, Ky. on August 7, 2015 and faces charges in Tennessee.

Charity Pennington, left, and her fiancee Ben Brewer appear before Judge T. Bruce Bell during a preliminary hearing at Fayetteville County District Court in Lexington, Ky., on August 19, 2015. Brewer, the semi-truck driver involved in the I-75 accident in June that killed six people, was arrested in Lexington, Ky. on August 7, 2015 and faces charges in Tennessee.

Judge T. Bruce Bell oversees a preliminary hearing for Ben Brewer on charges of trafficking methamphetamines and criminal mischief during while at Fayetteville County District Court in Lexington, Ky., on August 19, 2015. Brewer, the semi-truck driver involved in the I-75 accident in June that killed six people, was arrested in Lexington, Ky. on August 7, 2015 and faces charges in Tennessee.

Assistant county attorney Kate Mudrak attends a preliminary hearing in Judge T. Bruce Bell's Fayetteville County District Courtroom in Lexington, Ky., on Aug. 19, 2015, for Ben Brewer who was charged with trafficking methamphetamines and criminal mischief. Brewer, the semi-truck driver involved in the I-75 accident in June that killed six people, was arrested in Lexington, Ky.,on Aug. 7, 2015, and faces charges in Tennessee.

The Fayetteville County District Court in Lexington, Ky., on August 19, 2015.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Ben Brewer never smiled during his court appearance Wednesday.

He kept his eyes on his attorney and the ground, surveying the courtroom crowd just once – to find and lock eyes with his fiancee, Charity Pennington, 38.

Brewer, a 39-year-old truck driver, is charged with vehicular homicide in the Chattanooga crash that killed six people along Interstate 75 on June 25.

He and Pennington were arrested at a shopping center in Lexington, Ky., on Aug. 7, four days after authorities in Hamilton County issued a warrant for his arrest on 13 crash-related charges.

Brewer worked well beyond the number of hours allowed by federal standards before his truck failed to stop and plowed through eight vehicles in a fiery crash on I-75, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Pennington was riding with him during the crash.