Latest News 2014 May 7 Years in Prison for Wrong-Way DUI Crash That Killed Deputy, Family Unsatisfied

7 Years in Prison for Wrong-Way DUI Crash That Killed Deputy, Family Unsatisfied

Though a woman that caused a DUI wreck and the death of a deputy will spend the next seven years behind bars, the family of the deceased wanted her jailed for at least 15 years and fellow officers greatly miss his presence, as reported by WBTV News 13.

Bryan County Sheriff's deputy, Sgt. R.C., was killed when a wrong-way car driven by P.C. careened head-on into his police cruiser on Interstate 95 in June 2012.

R.C.'s family said that the woman should see double the seven year-prison sentence for the first-degree charge of vehicular homicide. After her sentence is served P.C. is also ordered to an 8-year probation, according to Judge Timothy Walmsley, who made the ruling on April 29.

Investigators determined that R.C.'s blood alcohol content was .139 – almost double the legal limit to operate a vehicle – at the time the collision.

According to the district attorney's office, in March R.C. agreed to plead guilty to charges of DUI and vehicular homicide.

The prosecution stated that P.C. had almost a dozen alcoholic beverages within 2 ½ hours, then added to that when she went to a bar and spent $36, before she headed off in the wrong direction on I-95.

A police cruiser's camera caught the collision on videotape. The recording, played in court, caused R.C.'s family members to break down and cry. Later, a Facebook update for the family read, "It was the best outcome, but I do not agree with the sentence terms, I feel it should have 15. DUI needs to be felony charge it – it is out of control."

In March B.C., R.C.'s mother, commented, "I'll never get over it. When you lose your child, you've lost something totally different than losing a parent or grandparent, there's that feeling that part of your heart is gone."

R.C.'s co-worker's, at both the Bryan County Sheriff's Office and the Pembroke Police Department, have also expressed their feelings about his death.

Pembroke Police Department Sgt. M.L., who was also R.C.'s best friend, commented, "Still think about him daily, still go by the cemetery often, take it one day at a time." M.L. added that he also now has difficulty driving past the crash site, "It was a very odd feeling, choke back tears, because up till then I avoided that part of the highway."

B.C., on the other hand, visits mile marker 96 on I-95 daily. "Knowing that was the last place he was at, other than being with coworkers and all, he was alone. He had no family with him. We didn't get to say goodbye," B.C. said.

Of P.C.'s sentence, that took two years after her son's death to reach, B.C. said, "She'll just be behind bars, and she'll still see her family, her family can visit her, she'll still have birthdays and stuff, where we visit a tombstone."

If you are headed to trial on DUI, DWI, OUI or OWI charges, contact a DUI attorney for the best defense. Not all DUI cases result in prison time, but your driving privileges can be revoked and you could also face fines if found guilty.

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