MACON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A man convicted of a drunken driving crash that killed a Macon County deputy nearly two years ago has been ordered to serve a 12 year sentence for his role in the deadly crash.
The crash happened just after midnight on July 29, 2023, along Highway 10 in Lafayette. Authorities reported Devin Slayton’s 2013 Ford F-150 was traveling north on the highway when it crossed the center line and hit Sgt. William Cherry, who was driving a 2020 Dodge Durango, head-on in the southbound lane.
Slayton reportedly told law enforcement that he had been drinking before he got behind the wheel. In fact, prosecutors said his blood alcohol result was 0.154 when the crash occurred, which is almost twice the legal limit.
A Macon County Grand Jury indicted Slayton on charges of DUI and vehicular homicide in October 2023. News 2 previously reported that he plead guilty to vehicular homicide by intoxication on Nov. 15, 2024.
Slayton was sentenced to 12 years in prison —the maximum sentence— on Thursday, Feb. 13, just a few months after pleading guilty to the charge. The sentence will have to be served in full at a state prison and Slayton will not be eligible for parole.
Sgt. Cherry was beloved by his family and the Macon County community. News 2 partnered with the community after the crash and raised $20,000 for the family through the “News 2 Gives Back” initiative. The family paid it forward by establishing a scholarship in Sgt. William Cherry’s name.
“I am appreciative of the careful attention Judge Kane showed in going through all of the proof and the law to arrive at the maximum sentence in this case,” 15th judicial district attorney Jason Lawson said in a statement to News 2. “I hope that the sentence will bring as much justice as the law allows to Sgt. Cherry’s family and to the community he served.”
