TOPEKA (KSNT) – The 190th Air Refueling Wing of the Kansas Air National Guard has confirmed that an airman died over the weekend in a Jefferson County car crash.

Staff Sgt. Cheyanne Branson died in a head-on vehicle collision near Jefferson County on Saturday, Nov. 12.

According to the 190th Air Refueling Wing, Staff Sgt. Branson served four and a half years with the Kansas Air National Guard as a Career Development Specialist.

“Our hearts are with her family, friends, loved ones, and fellow Guardsmen,” said Col. Brian Budden, commander of the 190th ARW. “Cheyanne was an extraordinary Airman who has made an impact on so many around her. I called her one of our ‘rock-stars’.”

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, a Chevy Silverado was driving east on U.S. Highway 24 just west of 3rd Street around 11 p.m. Saturday. The vehicle crossed the centerline and struck a Chevy Cruze driving west, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol crash log. The Cruze was hit head-on.

The driver of the Cruze, Cheyanne Louise Branson, 23, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Silverado, Manuel Enriquez, 35, of Kansas City, was arrested on suspicions of driving under the influence and murder in the second degree; unintentional but reckless, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

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