30-01-2025
NC man sentenced for hit-and-run crash involving pedestrian
HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. (WSPA) – A man pled guilty to the charge of voluntary manslaughter for hitting a pedestrian and fleeing the scene.
Officials announced Thursday morning that 47-year-old Jason Ryan Blackwell was sentenced following a hit-and-run investigation in October 2023.
Investigators said on the day of the crash, Blackwell was driving on US 176 in a large pickup truck when he hit a pedestrian while traveling off the road in Flat Rock.
The investigation revealed that the impact caused the victim to fly up onto the hoodof the vehicle. After the crash, the defendant drove back onto the roadway, where thevictim fell off the truck.
NC troopers believed that Blackwell then stopped his car, pulled the victim from the road onto the grass by roadside and then fled the scene.
Law enforcement searched for the defendant for several hours. Once they located Blackwell, it was reported that he made statements about hitting someone.
Officials stated that Blackwell's speech was slurred along with him displaying erratic behavior and extreme drowsiness which led authorities to assume the individual was impaired during his arrest.
His blood work from the laboratory analysis showed the presence of Xanax and marijuana.
Blackwell received a maximum term of 11 years in the NC Department of Adult Corrections.
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