Man sentenced to 15 years for deadly crash

A Northshore man who plead guilty in a horrific drunk driving crash has learned how long he will be behind bars.

The high speed collision happened last year in Washington Parish and resulted in vehicular homicide and feticide charges.

"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," 22nd Judicial District Assistant District Attorney Bruce Dearing said in a news release.

Judge Ellen Creel presided over the case and sentenced Dyson after he entered a guilty plea to vehicular homicide, feticide, third offense DWI and three counts of first degree vehicular negligent injuring.

Dearing says 27-year-old Dyson was driving at least 117 miles per hour at the time of the crash.

"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."

The trooper says Dyson and his two passengers were all ejected from the vehicle.

"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."

He says tests showed Dyson was both drunk from alcohol use and high from marijuana at the time.