Man convicted in fatal 2001 crash faces charges in Greene County wreck
But he walked out after serving less than six years, despite nine prior felony convictions -- two for drunken driving.
"One was high on a combination of drugs, speeding and driving erratically on Ind. 46 that night," The Herald-Times reported in a 2008 story following the case. "The other, a Bible on the seat beside him, was not intoxicated, was driving the speed limit and anticipating joining his wife and six children on a family vacation."
Forty-two-year-old
Bean's wife and children were on their way to
Thompson's van also hit a Pontiac Grand Am driven by Kalilla Cassidy, who suffered serious leg injuries when her car's motor landed in her lap. She spent months in the hospital, and then a nursing home, learning to walk again. Her insurance company sought
Thompson was 41 when the crash happened. He was convicted of driving while intoxicated resulting in death and driving while intoxicated resulting in serious injury and got the maximum sentence: 11 years. He was found to be a habitual criminal as well, which added another 12 years.
When he was sentenced in
Less than a year later, Thompson appealed, calling his sentence "manifestly unreasonable."
In 2006,
There were concerns that some of the evidence might not be admissible at a second trial, that Thompson might be acquitted. But neither
Harper said her client needed intensive drug abuse treatment that was not available in the state prison system.
Under an
He reported to the
Even Thompson's court-appointed lawyer in the case was surprised in 2008 to learn of his former client's sentence reduction.
This past Monday evening, Thompson was driving a 1999 Ford Mustang in the 500 block of
The 66-year-old woman driving the SUV was injured and transported by ambulance to the hospital. Thompson, now 56, was not hurt; nor was his wife, in the passenger seat.
But Thompson was arrested after failing three sobriety tests at the accident scene, according to police. He had not consumed alcohol, the police report indicated, but had taken a muscle relaxant at
"While speaking with Alan, I noticed that his speech was slurred and his balance was poor," Deputy
A witness reported seeing Thompson and his wife run from the scene of the accident to their home 100 feet away. She told a sheriff's deputy they were carrying a bag, "acting like they were trying to hide something."
At the
Police say Thompson admitted to not having a prescription for the medication, a benzodiazepine with the trade name Xanax that is used to treat anxiety.
He spent two days in jail before posting
She explained to her kids he would be getting out early and why, "that the legal system does not always work the way it should."
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