MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – A six-year manslaughter case was finally settled at the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office.
Background
On Dec. 15, 2018, the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) responded to a fatal crash near the intersection of US 441 and SE 80th St. in Ocala.
Responders say they found a red pickup truck flipped on its side with “heavy” front-end damage when they arrived at the scene.
An investigation by FHP later revealed that the pickup truck driver, 58-year-old Douglas M. Williams Jr., ran a red light at the intersection, hitting another vehicle.
The driver of the stricken vehicle, 46-year-old Clifford Gerald Green, was pronounced dead on the scene. Green’s wife, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was transported to a nearby hospital with “extensive” trauma, according to the state attorney’s office.
FHP says that they located “numerous” alcoholic beverage cans inside Williams’ truck following the accident, with some cans being opened. It was later revealed that Williams’ blood alcohol level was .157, exceeding the legal limit in the State of Florida.
Court
Jurors reached a verdict last week and found Williams guilty on charges including:
- DUI Manslaughter
- Vehicular Homicide
- DUI with Serious Bodily Injury
- DUI with Personal Injury
- DUI with Property Damage
Judge Peter M. Brigham sentenced Williams to 17 years on each of the two most serious counts, to be served consecutively at the Florida Department of Corrections.
“The defendant’s decision to get behind the wheel while under the influence took a life and, in so doing, destroyed a family,” said Bill Gladson, State Attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit. “Driving under the influence is one of the most senseless and selfish crimes because it can be so easily avoided.”