The vacated 91-year prison sentence for a drunk driver, who plowed into a group of bicyclists on the night of the Endymion parade in 2019, could soon be appealed if Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams has his way.
In March of 2019, Tashonty Toney was driving drunk down Esplanade Avenue when he hit a group of bicyclists on Endymion night. Two bicyclists were killed in the crash and several others were injured. Toney’s blood-alcohol level was estimated to be more than twice the legal limit.
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As Nola.com reports, District Attorney Jason Williams says he plans to appeal last month’s Louisiana 4th Circuit Court of Appeal decision, which threw out Toney’s sentence. In that ruling, the three-judge panel decided the trial judge did not properly explain her decision for the sentence she handed down.
Williams has made reversing excessive sentencing a priority for his office, however, his decision to appeal Toney’s sentence goes against the gain of his prior decisions. The D.A.’s office has 30 days to appeal the Supreme Court’s ruling.