Stephen Smith, referred to as "Stash" on radio station 98 Rock in Harford County, pleaded guilty to DUI and was sentenced to jail time, supervised probation, and must abstain from alcohol, as reported by the Baltimore Sun and other news sites.
Smith, with a driving record filled with dozens of unpaid tickets and convictions, must serve six months in the Harford County Detention Center – as opposed to his original one-year sentence – as he had completed a 28-day alcohol treatment program and admitted to having a problem with drinking.
Smith is no longer employed by the radio station – he had worked there for 20 years.
The DUI conviction was due to a three-car crash on Route 24 near I-95 on July 22 that caused five people to be taken to a hospital.
Assistant State's Attorney Trenna Manners said that Smith tried to toss a can of alcohol from his vehicle and denied, at first, of having alcohol in the car. Manners said that Smith had a history that included 56 payable tickets, 32 prior convictions for traffic offenses and a marijuana arrest.
Manners said, "What we have here is a string of horrific decision-making" and a "lousy" record.
Smith was represented by attorney Leonard Shapiro. Shapiro argued that Smith was known for the charitable work he did through the radio station, was distressed over caring for a severely autistic son and he had made a commitment to change the way he had been leading his life.
Shapiro said, "He loved his job and a lot of people liked him and followed him. Whether he can resurrect that or not remains to be seen. He has made a complete mess of everything and he knows that, and he could have hurt other people."
Several of the victims injured in the accident spoke in court to share how the their lives have been affected.
Baltimore resident, J.S., claimed that the impact caused his car's trunk to "almost completely" crush in on him. J.S., a disabled combat veteran, also stated that the accident has exacerbated the anxiety he had already been suffering with. J.S. added that "I am still not going out and getting drunk" in reference to his own loss of employment and pending divorce.
Another Baltimore resident injured in the crash, H.M., told the court that her injuries included a broken nose, misaligned jaw, concussion and slipped disc. H.M. is also a disabled veteran and single mother. The repercussions of the accident has caused her to consider a bankruptcy filing. H.M. said, "I don't doubt that (Smith) is a great man and a great father but he makes poor choices. I also think he needs to learn. I don't think another break is going to help him learn his lesson."
Two other victims, Abingdon resident, H.D., and Bel Air resident, K.C., also spoke of their injuries, loss of employment and financial burdens since the accident.
Smith made his apologies to the victims by saying, "Alcohol has taken over my life. I apologize deeply to you and I think about it every day. I apologize to my family with all the publicity that was involved."
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