A Fulton County man has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and all of the other charges were dropped as part of a plea deal with the state for a drunk driving accident that killed his 17-year-old daughter Melissa French. Evan French of Mammoth Spring, who was 43-years-old when the accident happened Jan. 17 of 2024, was originally charged with a felony count of negligent homicide and misdemeanor counts of driving while intoxicated, careless and prohibited driving and two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor.
In the plea deal, French pled guilty to the charge of careless and prohibited driving and all of the other charges were nolle prossed, or dropped. French was charged fines and court costs totaling $270.
According to the probable cause affidavit from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, French was traveling on Arkansas State Highway 289 which was covered with black ice. He lost control of his vehicle, ran off the highway and struck a box culvert. Melissa French, who was a passenger in the back seat, was partially ejected from the vehicle and the vehicle came to rest on its side. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Evan French consented to a blood draw to check his blood alcohol level which was 0.17%, more than double the legal limit of 0.08%.
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