A Knoxville, Tennessee, man was taken into custody last weekend after police discovered a severed human torso on the floor of the man’s car.
According to court records, suspect Dorrae Debrice Johnson, 29, was involved in a hit-and-run that occurred around 3:30 am on June 16 while being pursued by authorities.
The chase started when, after being pulled over by Tennessee Highway Patrol, Johnson sped away as the trooper approached his vehicle on foot.
According to a police report: “The driver continued on until he lost control of the vehicle and hit a utility pole. The driver then fled on foot from the vehicle. The trooper was able to catch up to the suspect and took him into custody.”
“Even though life had not always been easy, Darryl was a bigger than life personality and will be remembered for his smile, contagious positive attitude, and always having a story to share with others,” wrote the center.
Johnson was charged with vehicular homicide, felony evading arrest, and driving on a revoked license. He also later admitted to being under the influence.
After Johnson was taken into custody, an officer, while attempting to turn off the car’s ignition, discovered a severed torso laying on the floorboards on the passenger side of the car.
It remains unclear as to how Butler’s torso made its way into the car and onto the passenger side floorboards. A police spokesperson said the investigation is ongoing and no other information is available.
According to Knox County court records, Johnson was convicted of driving under the influence in November 2017, when he received a suspended sentence of 11 months and 29 days, spending only 48 hours in jail.
Drunk Driving Statistics
On any given day, nearly 30 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes, according to 2017 figures published by the United States Department of Transportation.This is equivalent to one lost life every 48 minutes or just over 10,000 deaths per year.
More than 1 million drivers were arrested in 2016 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.
Crash Deaths in the United States
Tens of thousands of people are killed and millions injured each year from motor vehicle crashes, according to the CDC. The CDC says these deaths cost more than $380 million in direct medical costs.The major risk factors for crash deaths in the United States are: not using seat belts, car seats, and booster seats (factors in over 9,500 crash deaths); drunk driving (a factor in more than 10,000 crash deaths); and speeding (contributing to more than 9,500 crash deaths).
These further break down as follows: the most common are unintentional poisoning deaths (58,335), followed by motor vehicle traffic deaths (40,327), and unintentional fall deaths in third place (34,673).
The 10 leading causes accounted for 74 percent of all deaths in the United States in 2017.
