Man who drove drunk in deadly crash to serve prison time

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - A man who drove drunk in a crash that killed four people has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. 

Decatur man Demetric Dixon, 25, pleaded guilty to aggravated driving under the influence for his role in the June 1, 2020 crash, which happened in the area of East Grand Avenue and North Water Street. In exchange for the plea, which he entered on May 21, all other charges he faced were dropped. 

In the crash, a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu and semi-truck crashed in an intersection. Dixon fled the scene and was found by authorities. He showed up injured at a hospital. 

Dixon was moving eastbound on East Grand when he ran a red light and was hit by the semi-truck, which had a fully-loaded trailer. His BAC was 0.159, and police said they believed it was even higher (0.25) when the crash happened. 

Five other Chevrolet occupants were taken to a hospital. Four died and a fifth was hurt. Responders used the jaws of life to help the victims.

The people killed were 20-year-old Keithsha C.S. Bowman, 23-year-old Armani Cooper, 19-year-old Brittany King and 23-year-old Shonez Harper. 

Dixon was credited for time served from June 1, 2020 to July 7, 2021. The sentence must be followed by two years of parole. At least 85 percent of the sentence must be served.