FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bogalusa Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison Following Guilty Plea in Fatal Drunk Driving Accident
September 25, 2024
District Attorney Collin Sims reports that on September 23, 2024, 27-year-old Charles Dyson of Bogalusa was sentenced to 15 years in prison following his guilty plea to vehicular homicide and other related charges involving a fatal accident he caused last year. Assistant District Attorney Luke Lancaster prosecuted the case. Judge Ellen Creel presided over the case and sentenced Dyson immediately after he entered a guilty plea to the charges of vehicular homicide, third degree feticide, third offense DWI and three counts of first degree vehicular negligent injuring. Dyson was sentenced to 10 years in prison on the vehicular homicide charge and 5 years in prison on the third degree feticide charge. Judge Creel ordered those two sentences to run consecutive to each other, meaning Dyson must first serve the 10-year prison term and then the 5-year prison term. Dyson was sentenced to 5 years in prison on each of the remaining charges with those sentences running concurrent with the other sentences.
At approximately 1:04 a.m. on July 23, 2023, officers with the Bogalusa Police Department were dispatched to a traffic crash in the 600 block of Columbia Street. Upon arriving on the scene, officers were able to determine Dyson was driving northbound on Columbia Street when, for some unknown reason, he crossed the center line and hit an oncoming vehicle head-on. Dyson and his two passengers were all ejected from the vehicle upon impact. One passenger was pronounced dead on the scene. The other passenger survived but sustained serious injuries leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. Dyson suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries. The vehicle struck by Dyson had two occupants. The female driver was 8 months pregnant and her unborn child was killed as a result of the crash. Her passenger sustained major injuries. The injured survivors were transported to local hospitals.
When officers spoke to Dyson at the hospital, they noted he had slurred speech and a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his person. Hospital records indicate Dyson had a BAC of 0.12 grams percent. Toxicology analysis results revealed Dyson also had both an active and inactive metabolite of THC in his blood system, consistent with Dyson having used marijuana prior to the accident.
Louisiana State Police assisted Bogalusa PD with the investigation and state troopers were able to retrieve computer data from Dyson’s vehicle. The data revealed Dyson was driving at a speed in excess of 117 MPH at the moment of impact.
Family members of the victims attended Monday’s proceedings. Prior to Judge Creel imposing sentencing on the defendant, victim impact statements were given by the woman who lost her unborn child and by the mother of the deceased victim. They said they were relieved justice was being served and they would try to move on with their lives.