A 24-year-old man who caused a collision that killed one woman and injured nine people by driving the wrong way on I-270 in 2023 is expected to serve eight years in prison, according to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.
On Friday, Circuit Court Judge Bibi Berry sentenced Jayleen Hannor, 24, of Montezuma, Georgia, to 18 years in prison, with all but eight years suspended, plus five years of supervised probation upon release, the state’s attorney’s office said in a statement.
Hannor had pleaded guilty March 21 to three charges: gross negligent manslaughter by a motor vehicle, life-threatening injury by motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and failing to remain at the scene of a collision involving death. The collision resulted in Hannor’s third drunken driving offense in 13 months, the statement said.
According to the statement, Hannor was driving a white sedan late in the evening southbound on northbound I-270 on Aug. 1, 2023, after “a heavy night of drinking.” He struck a Nissan Pathfinder head-on in the area of I-495 at Route 355, killing the driver, Elizabeth Velez, 36. The crash caused life-threatening injuries to Velez’s daughter and injured Velez’s partner and two other children.
The family was traveling from Pennsylvania to South Carolina for vacation.
A third vehicle couldn’t avoid the wreckage and collided with the Nissan. Five occupants of the third vehicle sustained minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital, according to the statement.
Hannor fled the scene on foot and was eventually located walking along the Inner Loop of the Beltway, according to the statement. He submitted to a breath test, which showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.17—more than twice the legal limit.
“We are gratified that the judge agreed that this case deserved a sentence above the Maryland State Sentencing Guidelines range,” Lauren DeMarco, spokesperson for the state’s attorney’s office, said in a press release. “There were 10 victims, including a family that suffered immeasurable loss, and it was entirely preventable.”