An underage drinker chose to get behind the wheel of a car, and then proceeded to cause a crash that took the life of his friend in June of 2013. The man, now 20 years old, has pleaded guilty to one count of DUI causing death, as reported by The Inter Mountain.
C.E., who entered his guilty plea in Randolph County Circuit Court on March 26, is facing two to 10 years in state prison.
Killed in the accident was 15 year-old Mill Creek resident T.H. Another passenger, E.D., survived the crash.
On the afternoon of June 20 C.E. was driving south on Route 219, near the Tygarts Valley High School, when he crashed into another vehicle. According to the criminal complaint, C.E. had drank alcohol just before the crash.
During the hearing C.E. told Judge Jaymie Godwin Wilfong that he drank alcohol 30 minutes before the crash and was aware that he was impaired. C.E.'s blood alcohol level tested at the scene was 0.84 percent.
C.E. further recounted for the judge that he drove 5 miles over the speed limit, "went off the berm of the road and lost control" and then a "truck hit us."
C.E. admitted that he was responsible for the crash. Both C.E. and E.D. sustained only minor injuries.
Judge Wilfong probed C.E. further about his feelings in causing the death of his passenger. The young man explained that the accident had affected him "not in a good way" as the two had been close friends.
According to the prosecution a toxicology screening also proved that C.E. had marijuana in his system as well as alcohol. Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Richard Shryock said, "The state contends that due to (C.E.) drinking alcohol while driving and traveling at a high rate of speed, the facts show that (C.E.) showed wreckless disregard which resulted in the accident."
Judge Wilfong then spoke directly to C.E., "Mr. (C.E.), you're now 20 years old. You were 19 then. Thinking back to when I was 19 and I'm a very different person now then when I was 19. Things when I was 19 may not have seemed as serious as they seem now. But I can tell you that there are a whole lot of people who are your age or younger that might think that - that might do similar things that you did. OK? And yours had, very sadly, a tragic ending. And the only positive that I can think of that could come out of this is if you had anything that you could say as far as what you would do differently, and how this has impacted your life, so that maybe someone who's out there who's 18 or 19 or 17 or 16 might think twice before they have a couple swigs of vodka and go flying down the road with their best friends in it…"
C.E. is to be sentenced on May 2.
Whatever the outcome has been of your DUI, contact a DUI attorney for help right away. Any kind of charges that stem from driving under the influence are best handled by an experienced DUI attorney!