MyNewsLA reports that 30-year-old Eugene McArthur Pamilton pleaded guilty to DUI gross vehicular manslaughter, DUI, and hit-and-run before a Riverside County Court.
At approximately 10:00 p.m. on July 23, 2018, in the 1200 block of Florida Avenue near the intersection of Florida and San Jacinto Street, Pamilton struck and killed a 64-year-old Hemet man riding a mobility scooter. Court documents indicate that the victim was heading to a convenience store near his home when Pamilton hit him.
During testimony, Lt Glen Brock told the court that at the time of the fatal crash, Pamilton had been heading eastbound on Florida Avenue when he hit the victim’s scooter with such force that the smaller vehicle cartwheeled into a curb and ejected the 64-year-old onto the pavement.
Rather than remaining at the crash scene, Pamilton fled. Police and paramedics arrived at the accident site and declared the victim dead at the scene.
Lt. Brock said the Hemet Police Department received several calls from motorists who had witnessed the crash and were following Pamilton’s vehicle, providing dispatchers with location information.
Officers caught up to Pamilton approximately one mile from the fatal crash scene, where they found the suspect had abandoned his vehicle. Hemet Police officers found Pamilton a short distance away and took him into custody.
This is not Pamilton’s first run-in with the authorities. Court records show that he has prior convictions of robbery and vehicle theft.
Through a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, prosecutors dropped several misdemeanor charges and related felonies in exchange for his guilty plea.
Judge Jorge Hernandez certified the plea agreement during a hearing at the Banning Justice Center and imposed a sentence of 25 years in state prison on Pamilton per the agreement stipulated by prosecution and defense attorneys.
