Impaired Driver Convicted in Death of Passenger

Prosecutors with DA Charme Allen’s DUI Unit obtained a conviction today for a crash in which the passenger of the impaired driver lost his life. Joyce Darlene Scott, 50, pled guilty to Aggravated Vehicular Homicide and was sentenced to serve eighteen years in the Tennessee Department of Correction. Scott had two prior convictions for DUI at the time of the crash.

Assistant District Attorney Joe Welker outlined the State’s case in a hearing before Judge Scott Green. Welker explained to the Court that on November 8, 2013, Knoxville Police Department Officer Tim Edwards responded to a single-vehicle crash at 2622 Texas Avenue. Rural Metro also arrived and transported Scott to UT Medical Center, but the passenger, Norman Connaster, was pronounced dead at the scene. Ofc. Edwards was able to determine based on evidence at the scene that the vehicle driven by Scott left the roadway and struck a utility pole before rolling on its side, sliding through a fence, hitting an embankment, and ultimately, striking an auto parts store at 2622 Texas Ave. Scott was interviewed and admitted consuming alcohol prior to the crash. She told officers she swerved to avoid hitting an animal in the road, and she lost control. Scott’s blood was drawn after the crash and showed that in addition to alcohol, Scott had cocaine, prescription pills, and marijuana in her system.

“This is yet another tragic example of the danger of impaired driving,” said DA Allen.”My Office spends a great deal of effort prosecuting DUI cases in the hope that strict enforcement and aggressive prosecution may help prevent outcomes like the one in this case.”

The case was enhanced to Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, a Class A felony, because the Defendant has two prior DUI convictions on her record from 2002 and 1998.

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.