PANAMA CITY — A man who struck and killed an elderly woman while driving drunk was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Aug. 4.
According to the arrest affidavit, Curtis Morgan Stoddard, 57, of Marion County, Florida, was driving east on U.S. 98 in Panama City Beach on Nov. 16, 2023. While travelling in the right turn lane, he failed to make the turn and T-boned a car sitting at the intersection of Lyndell Lane.
The vehicle Stoddard struck was occupied by 79-year-old Iris Sue Johnson, who was later pronounced dead at Ascension Sacred Heart.
Stoddard’s vehicle continued to travel east into a parking lot adjacent to the crash site, while Johnson’s vehicle was pushed into the road shoulder. Bystanders removed Stoddard from the vehicle, where an open bottle of Canadian Whiskey was found.
Stoddard was taken to Ascension Sacred Heart, where his blood was drawn and was found to have a blood-alcohol content of 0.179. It was also found to be positive for the presence of opiates. A bench warrant for Stoddard’s arrest was executed on Aug. 21, 2024.
A truth affidavit was filed by Stoddard, who said that he was traveling from a Days Inn in Destin to Panama City when the crash occurred.
Stoddard’s trial was scheduled for jury selection on Aug. 3, 2026. Instead of proceeding to trial, he entered a plea to DUI-manslaughter. His other count of vehicular manslaughter was consolidated, and Stoddard was sentenced to 12 years in prison and a lifetime suspension of his license.
If he had gone to trial, he could have faced 15 years behind bars, according to the state attorney’s office.
“The victim’s family was in agreement that this was in everyone’s best interest and that justice was served,” Chief Assistant State Attorney Mark Graham is quoted as saying in a release. “The defendant received nearly the maximum possible sentence without the family having to endure a trial. We hope this helps them to continue to heal the wounds brought on by a man driving without any regard for others with a (blood-alcohol) level more than twice the legal limit.”
The state attorney’s office also said that Stoddard was traveling up to 45 mph in a zone that was designated 35 mph at the time due to construction.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Fatal PCB DUI crash lands Marion County man 12 years in prison
Reporting by Dylan Gentile, Panama City News Herald / The News Herald
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dylan Gentile, Panama City News Herald | USA TODAY Network
