Fatal Car Crash In Great Smoky Mountains National Park Nets Driver 36 Months In Federal Prison For Involuntary Manslaughter

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On May 4, 2016, Joshua Michael Sizemore, 26, of Morristown, Tenn., was sentenced by the Honorable Thomas W. Phillips, Senior U.S. District Judge, to serve 36 months in federal prison for involuntary manslaughter for killing Ashley Marie Trent.  Upon his release from prison, he will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three years.

In November 2015, Sizemore pleaded guilty to the offense described above.  According to documents on file with U.S. District Court, on Oct. 4, 2014, after drinking alcohol, Sizemore crashed his car while driving within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP).  At the time of the crash, he had three passengers in his car. Two of the three suffered serious bodily injuries.  The third, Trent, suffered multiple blunt force injuries resulting in her death. Sizemore’s car contained a black box that recorded the car’s speed at 97 miles per hour two seconds prior to the crash in a 45 mile per hour zone on the GSMNP Spur.

The case was investigated by the National Park Service.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooklyn Sawyers represented the United States. 

###