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Jay Man Faces 41 Years For Fatal DUI Crash
May 14, 2016
A Jay man is facing 41 years in prison for a fatal DUI cash just hours after he was released from jail.
Melvin D. Hawthorne was convicted by a Santa Rosa County Jury of DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, driving while license cancelled suspended, or revoked with careless or negligent operation of a vehicle resulting in death, DUI with serious bodily injury, and DUI with property damage.
Hawthorne faces a 41 year prison sentence as a habitual felony offender and as a prison releasee reoffender. Sentencing is set for August 11.
Hawthorne was released on bond from the Santa Rosa County Department of Corrections at approximately 9:00 a.m. on August 17, 2014.
About 12 hours later, Hawthorne was speeding in his stepfather’s black Nissan truck east of Berrydale on Highway 4 when he attempted to pass a Ford F150 towing a boat that was traveling at 55 mph. Hawthorne side-swiped the Ford and continued down Highway 4. Hawthorne then ran the stop sign at the intersection of Highway 4 and Highway 87 and continued to speed. He failed to turn and crashed into a railing. Hawthorne then backed up and again sped down Highway 4. He rear-ended a Dodge Neon carrying five people.
A passenger sitting in the rear of the Neon, Shawn McLaughlin, was entrapped in the Neon and died at the scene of the crash. Another passenger sitting in the rear seat of the Neon, Raistlin Bunch, was also entrapped in the vehicle and suffered a severe leg fracture.
A blood sample was taken from Hawthorne and tested positive for high levels of methamphetamine. Hawthorne was identified as the driver of the Nissan truck through forensic evidence as well as witness statements.
Comments
4 Responses to “Jay Man Faces 41 Years For Fatal DUI Crash”
And some want to pass marijuana so we can have more people high out on our roads here in Pensacola. When people smoke pot or drink alcohol beverages and get behind the wheel then its we the people’s business.
He earned those 41 years, let him have them !!!
41 years sounds good for this sorry excuse…
Did he steal the truck or did they let him take it, if they let him, then they also need to be convicted, since they knew he wasn’t supposed to be driving. There is a lot of that going on, where people know one shouldn’t be driving but they let them anyway, now they aught to be living with a death on their hands, true they didn’t do it but they were the one who loaned the vehicle, so they are a contributed to the innocent ones death. I cannot even imagine what that family has gone through & still will continue to. if that vehicle was loaned out, the owner best better have gotten them a fantastic lawyer, a psychiatrist if they even remotely have any conscious or they could be one of those people that can live with their selves by saying I didn’t do it. Was it ever reported stolen, before the first incident?