A Fayetteville man was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison after pleading guilty to injuring two pedestrians in a hit-and-run car crash from January, according to the Washington County Prosecutor’s Office.
Charles Jones, 26, was arrested Jan. 19 on suspicion of leaving the scene of an injury accident and driving while intoxicated. He was booked into the Washington County Detention Center at the time with a $3,500 bond.
Jones reached a plea deal with prosecutors, in which he pleaded guilty to felony second degree battery and felony leaving the scene of an injury accident. He received a sentence of six years in state prison and was ordered in Washington County Circuit Court to pay $8,000 in restitution, according to the prosecutor’s office.
An officer spotted a black BMW car driving down University Avenue on Jan. 19 with its lights off, so he initiated a traffic stop at approximately 2:17 a.m. When the officer approached the vehicle, he noticed the front windshield was badly damaged and there was blood on the passenger seat and the driver, who was identified as Jones, the report said.
Jones told the officer he did not know what caused the damage and blood, and that he had found the car like that when he picked it up from Powerhouse Grill after he had had a few beers at George’s Majestic Lounge, the report said. The officer said he checked with dispatch and discovered a man and woman had been injured in a hit-and-run accident at approximately 2:07 a.m. on University Boulevard, the report states.
The officer said he noticed Jones’ eyes were watery and bloodshot and he had slightly slurred speech. The officer said Jones failed a field sobriety test.
The report said Jones, when asked by the officer if he had been in an accident, told police a woman had been in his car asking him to call 911, but he let her out of the car. The officer said he collected the female victim’s driver license from Jones’ car as well as hair from the windshield, the preliminary report states.
The two victims were transported to Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, and the report said the man suffered cuts while the woman had internal injuries, in addition to cuts. The report states Jones tested at a .20 blood-alcohol level on a breathalyzer at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
