A Gordon man pleaded guilty Monday to causing the death of his fiance in a fatal crash during which authorities said he drove nearly 140 mph in his Chevrolet Camaro along U.S. 231 South.
Assistant District Attorney Banks Smith said Shaun Cast, 28, of John David Road, pleaded guilty to felony manslaughter. Banks said Circuit Court Judge Butch Binford gave Cast a five-year sentence, with one year to serve in Houston County Community Corrections, and four years of probation.
Alabama State Troopers arrested Cast on July 24, 2009, about a month after the crash. He was released from custody after he posted a $30,000 bond. Had Cast gone to trial he could’ve faced two to 20 years in prison for the class B felony.
Smith said Cast was also ordered to give up his driver’s license for three years as part of his sentence.
“He was driving down 231 South toward Florida right at 138 mph, according to the computer chip taken out of the car, and he killed his fiance sitting in the backseat,” Smith said. “It was a dangerous and excessive speed that’s why we charged him with manslaughter, but there was no drugs or alcohol involved.”
Smith said Cast’s Camaro struck another vehicle crossing U.S. 231, but that motorist was not injured in the crash.
“He was going so fast it flipped end over end, traveled through a field 250 yards from the initial point of impact,” Smith said.
Cast’s attorney Derek Yarbrough said his client and a second passenger both suffered injuries in the crash. He said Cast has gone through several surgeries to repair the injuries he suffered. Yarbrough also said Cast will continue to work at Jim Whaley’s Tires while he is serving a year at Houston County Community Corrections.
“My client just decided not to take any risk of going to trial and accept the guilty plea,” Yarbrough said. “This was a situation both sides came together and resolved. In my mind it was fair to everyone, to my client and the victims.”