An Army captain was recently charged with multiple DUI-related charges in a fatal crash in Tennessee. According to authorities, he hit and killed an army private who was on foot at the time. The captain then allegedly fled the scene. He now faces vehicular homicide, among other charges.

Though it was not immediately clear why the private was on foot, he had been walking along a road in the early hours of the morning when the accident apparently took place. A second person discovered the private’s body several hours later. After authorities became involved, they conducted a search for a vehicle with recent damage.

They located a vehicle that had damage that they considered to be consistent with a hit-and-run pedestrian accident. The owner of the vehicle, an Army captain, admitted that he had been drinking the evening before. He maintained, however, that he had struck a deer and not a person. The captain was arrested on several charges, including vehicular homicide, driving without a legal license and failing to notify the police that the accident had occurred. It was not immediately available how authorities determined that the captain was driving under the influence, or — if they had performed field sobriety tests — what those results were.

Vehicular homicide is one of the most serious charges a Tennessee resident can face. If authorities manage to prove such a case against any resident, the resident may face jail time in addition to heavy fines. Understanding how the state law protects the rights of each resident can help in crafting a defense for the trial. The accused, after all, is innocent until proven guilty, and deserves a fair and just trial.

Source: armytimes.com, Army captain charged in pedestrian soldier death in Tenn., David Elliott, Dec. 16, 2013