More than likely if you live in the Mid-south you heard about the tragic automobile accident on May 31, 2015 that killed two teenage girls, Rachel Lynch and Maddie Kruse, (students at Briarcrest Christian School) and injured three others on Highway 78 near Byhalia, Mississippi as they were headed to a beach for vacation. They were merely passengers in a vehicle that was struck from behind by an allegedly drunken driver.
The allegedly drunken driver, Melandus Penson, has previously been charged with seven (yes – I said seven) DUIs since 2008. What is more remarkable? Each and every time he was charged with DUI FIRST OFFENSE. Seven different police officers in four different jurisdictions have arrested this man for driving while under the influence (wmcactionnews5.com).
Now you may ask yourself “with the technology of today, how did this happen”? Attorney Kizer Jones of Holly Springs, Mississippi told Rose Eiklor with WMCTV “It’s not uncommon if you reside in one county and get arrested in another county, from county to county, city to city, there is no way of knowing.” He further stated “Until the conviction there is no way of charging with a second or third offense until there is a conviction on the initial charge.”
These teens have unknowingly brought to light this issue of miscommunication among Mississippi counties. Representative Wanda Jennings (R-Desoto County) intends to advocate “Briarcrest Law” which is designed to crackdown on repeat DUI offenders, but this law will be useless unless every city and county police agencies can communicate to each other about any pending arrests. (No further information is available yet as to the content of the bill.)
It is just a shame that two young ladies lost their lives due to the negligence of the allegedly habitual drunken driver, but it is also ashamed that Mississippi legislation has not addressed this issue.
If you feel the need to drink, please either do it at home or at least have someone else to do the driving. Then hopefully you will not end up in a situation like this – either in jail or dead. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families of all these victims in this accident.
