A Florida man will be sentenced Thursday morning after pleading guilty to aggravated driving under the influence.
Vernon Tarkowski, 53, of Panama City, Florida, faced two counts of aggravated DUI from an accident that happened on Feb. 19, 2012. He hit a car head-on and injured Joshua Jourdan and Alex Pate, according to court records.
On Tuesday in Lowndes County Circuit Court, Tarkowski pleaded guilty to one aggravated DUI charge. He admitted to open court that he “had a wreck after drinking beer.”
The second aggravated DUI charge was dropped.
Tarkowski faces up to 25 years in jail when he is sentenced Thursday.
According to media reports at the time, a Dodge Ram driven by Tarkowski struck a Toyota Avalon on Highway 373.
Jourdan, one of the people in the Avalon at the time, told the court, in a statement, that his knee was hurt and five bones in his foot were broken from the crash. He said he does not think Tarkowski deserves jail time, but should not be allowed to drive for a while, according to court documents.
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