A Gaithersburg teen has pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter charges that stem from an alleged drunk driving accident that injured one person and killed two people in June of 2015. That teen, who is now 19 years old, was preparing for an upcoming jury trial when he decided to plead guilty to two counts of vehicular manslaughter. The other charges against him have been dropped.
The teen was facing a host of other charges. These included two counts of homicide by a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, as well as one count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing a life-threatening injury. With his guilty plea, those charges were dropped and only the two counts of vehicular manslaughter remain.
On the night of the accident, the driver was 18 years old. His blood-alcohol concentration was .09 percent, which is higher than the legal limit of .08 percent for drivers who have reached the legal drinking age. Before the accident, it is alleged that the teen and his friends attended a party with underage drinking. The adult who hosted that party has already pleaded guilty to two criminal counts of allowing underage drinking at his residence.
The teen is set for sentencing on June 3. He faces up to 10 years in prison for each of the two counts of vehicular manslaughter he has been charged with. The prosecution hasn’t made any statements regarding how much time they plan to seek in this case.
Underage drinking is a huge problem that can lead to serious consequences. If you are facing criminal charges related to underage drinking or drunk driving, you should make sure that you plan a defense that can help you fight the charges.
Source: WTOP, “Md. teen pleads guilty to charges in wreck that killed 2,” Megan Cloherty and Amanda Iacone, April 08, 2016