When an individual makes the decision to drink and drive, he or she creates a high level of risk for each and every person encountered while on the road. When an accident takes place, a drunk driver will be held accountable for the choices made leading up to the incident. This is the case for one young man who was recently sentenced in a felony DUI case in Spartanburg County, South Carolina.
The 20-year-old man was charged with at least eight counts associated with a fatal wreck that took place in March. Police assert that the man allowed his vehicle to cross the center lane of travel and strike another vehicle head-on. In that car were a 43-year-old woman, her husband, mother and 11-year-old daughter. The woman and her mother were killed in the crash, and both the husband and daughter were seriously injured.
The young man admitted to consuming nearly a half pint of rum, as well as being under the influence of marijuana and other drugs at the time of the crash. He chose to enter a guilty plea and was emotional as he apologized to the woman’s family in court. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, and he will be required to serve at least 85 percent of that sentence.
In making the decision to enter a guilty plea, this young man and his South Carolina legal team made a carefully reasoned choice. In certain cases, the evidence held by the prosecution is sufficient to support a guilty verdict during trial. Therefore, choosing to admit guilt can lead to a lesser sentence. In this case, felony DUI charges and other counts against this young man could have resulted in a sentence of 125 years in prison. In that light, 25 years likely seemed like the best possible outcome.
Source: live5news.com, “SC man who killed mother, daughter in DUI wreck sentenced to 25 years“, , Oct. 8, 2014
