Man pleads guilty in deadly DWI crash, apologizes to family
A Mid-Missouri man is going to prison after pleading guilty to six charges tied to a deadly DWI crash north of Mexico in 2014.
Jesse R. Smith, 21, was sentenced to seven years in prison, but that was suspect. He could be released after 120 days of shock time if he undergoes an alcohol treatment program behind bars. Smith also apologized to the victim’s family in court on Friday.
Michael Cunningham of Mexico was riding in a car June 13 when it went off the road. The crash was north of Highway 15 on County Road 355, about four miles from town.
Smith was driving and airlifted to University Hospital in Columbia with serious injuries.
The crash report by the Missouri Highway Patrol states both men were not wearing their seat belts.
