WHITESTOWN, Ind. — A Boone County judge sentenced a 36-year-old man from Whitestown to six years for drunk driving in a crash that left another driver paralyzed from the neck down.
Around 7:15 a.m. on Oct. 18, 2020, a Toyota Tacoma truck, driven by Ryann Scott Early, crossed over a double yellow line while trying to pass a vehicle on East County Road 400 in Whitestown when he hit a Honda Accord head-on.
Investigators learned Early was going 79 mph at the time of crash, which is 39 mph over the speed limit in the area.
After the crash, Early provided a blood sample, which was found to be 0.142 — more than one and a half times the legal limit.
Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood said the driver of the Honda had significant injuries that left her requiring assistance for mobility and all self-care activities.
On Feb. 9, a judge sentenced Early to six years at the Indiana Department of Correction, as well as four years of probation after his release.
"This case is a sad example of how drunk driving cases can adversely impact countless lives. What is even worse is that this case and others like are completely preventable and should never happen," Eastwood said following the sentencing. "Impaired driving continues to be a significant public safety issue in our community and country. Drunk driving is the number one filed and litigated case in Boone County. Impaired drivers continue to kill over 10,000 people a year in our country, and the past year, Indiana has seen an increase in impaired driving deaths."
Early was previously found guilty in November 2022 of causing catastrophic injury when operating a vehicle while intoxicated, causing catastrophic injury when operating a vehicle with an ACE of .08 or more, operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, operating a vehicle with an ACE of .08 or more, operating a vehicle while intoxicated, and public intoxication.
