Originally, the offense was just a misdemeanor that could be upgraded to a felony if someone was injured or killed during the pursuit. Now, things are much harsher.
On Monday night, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man who according to Blankenship, eluded the police after being caught with drugs.
“He automatically escalated that to a class B felony and set his sentencing guidelines a lot higher for eluding than what he would have even got for the drug charges...” Blankenship said about the incident. According to Blankenship and lawmakers who pushed for the change, the law has more to do with safety.
Alabama ranked first among states for pursuit-related fatalities per 100,000 residents from 1996 to 2015 according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In June of this year, a Daleville mand died after leading police on a high-speed chase. The hope now is that fewer fatalities will occur if harsher punishments are handed out for the offense which could keep law enforcement, the suspect, and innocent bystanders safe.
The new guidelines say that exceeding 20 miles over the posted speed limit bumps the offense up to a class B felony. This brings the offense to the same level as crimes like manslaughter. Class B felonies could result in 2 to 20 years in prison.
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