Former Pontiac resident, 24-year-old Jeremiah K. Lynne of Columbia, has been sentenced to 24 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. The sentence follows Lynne admitting to his role in the deaths of his girlfriend, 19-year-old Skyler L. Littleton, and her unborn child after an April 1 crash where Lynne was the driver and Littleton was a passenger.
The Ozark County Times reports Lynne pleaded guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of leaving the scene of an accident during a hearing earlier this month in Boone County Circuit Court in Columbia.
Under Missouri law, the manslaughter charges require Lynne to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole meaning he will be at least 41 years old before he could be released from prison.
The pleas were made as part of an agreement with the Boone County, Missouri Prosecuting Attorney.
The Columbia Police Department reported a city police officer followed Lynne in his vehicle around 10 on the evening of April 1 because the car Lynne was driving did not have an illuminated license plate lamp. While following the car, the officer saw Lynne fail to stop at a stop sign, so he activated his emergency lights and sirens in order to pull the vehicle over. Upon noticing the officer, Lynne began driving erratically leading the officer to turn off the lights and sirens because Lynnes driving was creating a substantial risk of serious physical injury or death to other motorists.
Lynne continued at high speed even after the police vehicles lights and sirens were off, traveling into oncoming lanes of traffic. Lynne failed to slow down at a four-way intersection and crashed into a vehicle.
After the crash, Lynne fled on foot but was apprehended by officers and was taken into custody soon after. He was treated and released from a Columbia hospital, then arrested.
Littleton, also a Columbia resident, was riding as a passenger in Lynnes vehicle. She was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The Columbia Police Department reported Littleton was four months pregnant, and her child also died as a result of the crash.
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