Driver sent to prison for vehicular homicide

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A driver had his license suspended for more than a decade Wednesday as part of a sentence for vehicular homicide.

Lloyd J. Eaton III, 22, received a 30-month prison sentence for his involvement in a fatal crash on Nov. 27, 2015. In addition to the prison sentence, Eaton’s driver’s license was suspended for 12 years and he was fined $500.

On the date of the crash, Eaton was driving a vehicle westbound on East U.S. Route 36. He was turning southbound into the drive of 1637 E. U.S. Route 36 when the vehicle was struck by a 1998 Dodge Ram which had been traveling eastbound on East U.S. Route 36.

The collision caused Eaton’s vehicle to spin and strike a 2015 Toyota Rav4, which was stopped in the driveway of 1637 E. U.S. Route 36.

Tanya J. Morgan, of Urbana, was a front seat passenger in Eaton’s vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene. Tiffany Wilford, of Urbana, was a back seat passenger in Eaton’s vehicle and was extricated from the vehicle by the Urbana Fire Division before being flown to Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton, via CareFlight.

Eaton pleaded guilty to a third degree felony aggravated vehicular homicide charge and a fourth degree felony vehicular assault charge during a July 1 hearing.

The grand jury indictment contended Eaton was driving with a concentration of marijuana metabolite in his whole blood, blood serum or plasma.

In a journal entry on Wednesday’s sentencing, the court notes that within six weeks of the crash, Eaton was under the influence of marijuana and operating a motor vehicle where he caused property damage to another vehicle.

Eaton was ordered to serve 10 days in jail on April 28 after he pleaded guilty in the Champaign County Municipal Court to operating a vehicle under the influence of marijuana and leaving the scene of an accident stemming from a Jan. 2 incident where he hit a parked vehicle and fled the scene.

The journal entry also notes within four months of the November 2015 crash Eaton was still using marijuana.

Upon his release, Eaton is subject to post release control for a period of up to three years.

Eaton
https://www.urbanacitizen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2016/08/web1_Eaton.jpgEaton

By Nick Walton

[email protected]

Nick Walton can be reached at 937-652-1331 Ext. 1777 or on Twitter @UDCWalton.

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