| 112th Year, 36th Issue | Thursday, April 19, 2001 | Sparta, North Carolina |
Independence, Va. - Judd Jennings Poe was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence in Grayson County Circuit Court last Thursday.
Poe, a 22-year-old Piney Creek (N.C.) resident, was originally charged with aggravated involuntary manslaughter in the death of Gold Hill farmer Gayle Phipps.
The maximum penalty for the crime is 10 years in prison and a $2,500 fine.
The case was heard by Judge J. Colin Campbell.
Poe was driving a Dodge pickup that clipped the back of a small trailer being pulled by a farm tractor on U.S. 58 on Sept. 8, 2000. The tractor rolled over after Poe struck the trailer and Phipps was killed instantly.
Poe had a blood-alcohol content of .15, which is more than the .08 required for a driving under the influence conviction in Virginia. Earlier evidence showed that Poe told police that he left work at 3 a.m. and stopped off at a friend's house and had consumed two or three beers. He was heading home to Piney Creek when the accident occurred around 9 a.m.
Poe said that he was traveling at a speed of around 55, which is consistent with the speed limit, when he came upon the tractor in a curve and realized he could not stop. When he swerved into the other lane, he clipped the back end of the trailer, which resulted in the tractor roll-over and Phipps' death.
Poe is set for sentencing at 1 p.m. on June 21. He remains free on a
$20,000 bond.
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