Ocean Springs man set his cruise control at 96 mph before deadly DUI crash on I-10
An Ocean Springs man plead guilty this week in relation to a drunk driving accident that left one person dead and another hospitalized, District Attorney W. Crosby Parker announced.
David Thomas Pelkey, 30, pleaded guilty in Harrison County court to one count of DUI causing death and one count of DUI causing injury.
Pelkey was sentenced to 25 years, with eight years suspended. That leaves 17 years for Pelkey to serve in the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Following his release, he is also to be placed on five years of post-release supervision.
The crash occurred Jan. 23, 2021, when Biloxi police responded to a crash on Interstate 10 near Exit 41 around 1:40 a.m.
According to the release, officers found Pelkey, an injured victim and a deceased victim on the scene. Witnesses said that Pelkey ran into the rear of the victims vehicle and caused the crash and that he was driving at a high rate of speed.
The deceased victim was identified as 41-year-old Richard Gann of Ocean Springs.
The injured victim was taken to a hospital where they were diagnosed with pelvic fractures, a cervical strain, a vertebra fracture and a subdural hematoma.
At the scene officers noticed Pelkey exhibiting signs of impairment, which led them to perform a blood alcohol test. Pelkey had a blood alcohol concentration of .124%, according to a press release. The investigation also found he had his cruise control set at 96 mph at the time of the crash.
“The defendant’s actions that night took an innocent life and injured another,” Parker said. “We hope this conviction and sentence will help these victims and their families in their healing process.”
