With a possible 60-year prison sentence in his future, a young man just over the legal drinking age has pled not guilty to two counts of aggravated homicide by vehicle and two counts of DUI and causing bodily injury, as reported by the Star Herald.
E.K., 22, is accused of killing two women and injuring two men in a car accident in Wyoming on January 9 that occurred just after midnight.
E.K. was asked to read aloud all of the charges he faced after they were explained to him, in depth, by Goshen County District Judge Keith Kautz. The judge also explained the maximum sentence, and fines, that each charge could carry.
Killed in the crash were Scottsbluff residents H.W, 19, and A.W., 18. The two injured are T.H., 19 and S.A., 23.
T.H. has been hospitalized since the car crash. His injuries – head and brain – are considered serious. He continues to have limited responsiveness and limited physical capabilities.
S.A.'s injuries are also deemed serious. He has knee and leg injuries that have required surgery, broken toes and a broken right scapula. He also suffers with whiplash.
The judge explained to E.K. that the prosecutors will be alleging in court that he drove while drunk and he drove recklessly.
The Wyoming State Patrol reported that witnesses sighted E.K. driving westbound on Highway 92, when he failed to correctly make a turn near Lyman. Instead, E.K. drifted off of the road and into a ditch.
E.K.'s vehicle then came into contact with a private driveway approach and vaulted over the approach, crashing into a drainage ditch. The car finally came to a stop after if flipped over onto one end.
Investigators noted both excessive speed and alcohol as contributors in the accident. An officer that arrived on the scene found a cooler of beer bottles near the vehicle.
An EMS worker also documented alleged alcohol consumption and said that, "everyone he had contact with from the vehicle reeked with alcohol."
Five seconds before the accident E.K.'s speed was revealed to be 99 mph – the posted limit is 65 mph – according to a crash data retrieval system in his vehicle.
At the crash scene E.K. originally denied being the driver of the vehicle. However, according to an EMS responder, E.K. had already admitted to driving the car. Another passenger in the vehicle also confirmed that E.K. had driven.
An attorney in the Goshen County Public Defender's officer is representing E.K.
The judge explained to E.K. that if found guilty, and his time is ordered to be run consecutively, he could be behind bars for up to 60 years. E.K. also faces fines from $2,000 up to $10,000.
Instead of a public defender, contact a DUI attorney to best defend charges that stem from DUI, DWI, OUI or OWI. A DUI attorney will give you the experience you need to help you avoid jail time, fines and the loss of your driving privileges.