Mississippi man gets prison for plowing truck into four airmen, killing one in DUI crash

Published 12:58 pm Thursday, December 29, 2022

A Mississippi man has been sentenced to a decade in federal prison for plowing his truck into four airmen, killing one of them, at an Air Force base while under the influence of drugs.

A U.S. District Court judge sentenced 25-year-old Emmett Jason Bennett of Biloxi several months after he pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated DUI, the Sun Herald reported.

Authorities say Bennett was working as a civilian contractor at Keesler Air Force Base on Mississippi’s Gulf coast on July 28, 2021, when his truck hit a light pole and then crashed into four airmen walking on foot. One of them, Daniel J. Germinis, was killed after being dragged by the speeding truck. The others were all injured.

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Prosecutors said drug tests confirmed Bennett had traces of prescription painkillers fentanyl and oxycodone in his system, as well as marijuana.

Bennett pleaded guilty in July after reaching a deal with prosecutors, who agreed to drop a charge of involuntary manslaughter. He returned to court for sentencing on Dec. 20.