DRIVER HIT MAN WHO WAS WEED EATING
A man from DeKalb, Mo. has been sentenced to 11 years in prison after he struck and killed another man who was clearing grass from a ditch in rural Platte County.
Wesley William Teague received the sentence in Platte County on Jan. 23 after pleading guilty to driving while intoxicated causing the death of another person.
Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said, “This case is yet another tragic reminder of the dangers of drunk and drugged driving. A young man who was a husband, son, and father died because another person chose to drive a car after using marijuana and drinking. There’s no excuse for getting behind the wheel stoned or drunk, and it’s only right that this defendant was sentenced to more than a decade in prison.”
The victim was using a string trimmer to trim grass in a ditch on Route M north of East Dye Road in rural Platte County at about 6:45 p.m. on May 23, 2023 when Teague, driving a 2015 Chevrolet Camaro, ran off the road and struck him. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
At his sentencing, the victim’s parents said, “Words cannot even begin to express the impact and change [our son’s] death has had on our lives, our daughter-in-law, our daughters, our sons-in-law, and our grandchildren’s lives–especially the lives of his four children.”
Teague smelled strongly of alcohol at the crash site. He was arrested, and a breath test revealed his blood alcohol content was 0.128, more than 1.5 times the legal limit. Teague admitted to drinking two Guinness beers and using marijuana prior to the crash.
Zahnd said, “A father of four had his life cut short as a result of this defendant’s indefensible decision to smoke marijuana, drink alcohol, and then drive. The only good that could come of this terrible case is that someone else will hear about it and decide not to get behind the wheel of a car after they’ve been using marijuana or drinking. Please don’t be the next defendant or the next victim in an impaired driving case. It’s so easy to call a taxi or an Uber.”
The case was investigated by the Platte County Sheriff’s Department. It was prosecuted by assistant prosecuting attorney Sydney Alizadeh and first assistant prosecuting attorney Mark Gibson.
