In Dec. 2014, a 26-year-old man was driving down South Anderson Road here in Oklahoma City. At some point, he veered into the oncoming lane of traffic into the path of another vehicle with which he collided. Recently, prosecutors charged him with at least one felony in connection with the crash.
A 56-year-old man died in the accident. It took authorities four months to determine whether the driver should be charged. He now faces one count of manslaughter in the first degree and possession of marijuana, along with other charges.
The driver said to be responsible for the accident was taken to a hospital to be treated for the injuries he suffered in the crash. Supposedly, someone at the hospital found marijuana on his person at that time. A blood sample was taken, which authorities say indicated the man had marijuana in his system at the time of the accident.
Police went to the man’s home and took him into custody on March 16. At last report, he was still being held in the Oklahoma County Jail on bail for $11,500. Now, prosecutors have the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the man is guilty of the crimes with which he is charged.
Any time an individual is charged with a felony, prison time and fines are only two ways in which a conviction can adversely affect his or her life. Criminal defense counsel must review the circumstances surrounding the charges and question whether proper protocols and procedures were followed during every aspect of the investigation. Only then can the discussion of how to proceed include all of the viable options available that could lead to the best resolution possible.
Source: koco.com, “Man faces first-degree manslaughter charges following December crash“, Jonathan Greco, March 16, 2015
