A Lexington Park man has been sentenced to 18 months in jail after pleading guilty to Criminal Negligent Manslaughter by Vehicle. Thomas Gunn, 22, was sentenced Monday in St. Mary’s County Circuit Court by Judge Karen Abrams. Gunn was sentenced to three years in jail but the judge suspended half of the sentence.
On November 11 of last year a pedestrian, James Clark, Jr. of Great Mills was struck on Harrison Street by a vehicle which then left the scene. Clark died of his injuries on November 20 at the hospital.
During the subsequent investigation by the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, evidence was obtained identifying the striking vehicle as a metallic red/maroon 2012 Dodge Ram pickup truck and the owner identified. As a result of that investigation the St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a Criminal Information on July 25, 2013 in the Circuit Court for St. Mary’s County charging Gunn with the crime.
Additional charges of Failure to Immediately Stop Vehicle At Scene of Accident and Failure To Immediately Return and Remain at Scene of Accident were nolle prossed by the state after the plea to the more serious charge.
Judge Abrams authorized work release for Gunn as part of the sentence. He will be on three years’ supervised probation after his release.
Gunn’s plea averted a jury trial in the case that had been scheduled for this week.
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