A drunk driver was going 124 mph when he hit a motorcycle. He never hit the brakes.
An Ocean Springs man is headed to prison for 20 years for felony DUI causing the death of a motorcyclist in a crash on the Biloxi Bay Bridge, District Attorney Crosby Parker said in a press release.
Michael Blaise Leggett Jr., 37, was going 124 mph and was more than three times the state’s legal intoxication level of .08 percent when he crashed into the motorcycle driven by William Gryder V.
The crash happened on the evening of Nov. 24, 2020.
Leggett pleaded guilty to a felony DUI causing a death charge earlier this month.
On Monday, Judge Randi P. Mueller sentenced Leggett to 25 years in prison, suspending five years and leaving him 20 years to serve in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.
Biloxi police investigated the crash.
A witness reported seeing Leggett driving recklessly on U.S. 90 between Rodenburg and Porter avenues before the two were stopped next to one another at a traffic light just before the bridge.
While Leggett was stopped, Gryder turned onto to the highway to head toward Ocean Springs.
Shortly thereafter, the witness noticed debris from the crash scattered in the eastbound lanes of the bridge and saw Leggett attempt to get out of his car and run away.
Motorists stopped Leggett and held him until police arrived on scene.
The investigation also showed Leggett, whose blood alcohol content level was .221% at the time of the wreck, never hit his brakes prior to slamming into the motorcycle.
Legget and members of Gryder’s family spoke prior to sentencing.
The judge noted that a great loss had been suffered by the victim’s family because of Leggett’s actions and took into consideration the speed he was going and his “extreme” level of intoxication when sentencing him, the release said.
“We thank law enforcement and the good-Samaritan citizens who stepped in to ensure this defendant’s apprehension and ultimate conviction,” Parker said. “I hope this conviction and sentence will in some way assist Mr. Gryder’s grieving family as they mourn the loss of their loved one.”
This story was originally published October 25, 2021 at 2:59 PM.
