Jamie Allison Smith, 38, of Alabama, was found guilty of homicide this past week by Floyd County, Georgia Superior Court Judge William F. Sparks in connection with a fatal car crash last June that claimed the lives of two individuals on Alabama Highway. Judge Sparks sentenced Smith to 15 years in prison, in addition to ordering her to pay a $2,500 fine and contribute $8,700 to the victim’s compensation fund.
The charges stemmed from a June 8, 2024, incident where Smith was charged with felony homicide by vehicle and serious injury by vehicle in the deaths of Rico English, 18, and Ashley Jackson, 31. The accident occurred around 8:40 a.m. when Smith, driving a white 2023 Acura eastbound on Alabama Highway near Halls Valley Road, veered into the opposite lane and collided with a Freightliner tractor-trailer. The impact of the initial collision caused the Freightliner to then strike a 2020 Nissan Altima driven by Ashley Jackson, carrying passengers Rico English and Jeremiah Jackson, 18. English and Jeremiah Jackson were reportedly best friends on their way to a football camp at Shorter University. Ashley Jackson was in a relationship with Jeremiah Jackson’s father.
Evidence presented in court revealed that Smith, who worked as a bar manager in Birmingham, Alabama, was driving home at the time of the crash. Furthermore, her driver’s license was suspended due to a prior DUI offense, and she had two additional DUI cases pending. Following the accident, a portable breath test indicated the presence of alcohol. Subsequent toxicology reports, taken from a blood sample while Smith was hospitalized, revealed acute levels of methamphetamine in her system.
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