GREENVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina) -
A Greenville man pleaded guilty to driving drunk and fleeing from a 2011 crash when he left his passenger to die in the car.
Thirteenth Circuit Solicitor Walt Wilkins said Billy Hannah, 34, pleaded guilty to the charges of felony driving under the influence resulting in death and leaving the scene of an accident involving death.
Prosecutors said on Jan. 23, 2011 Hannah drove his wife's SUV off the right side of North River Road in Cleveland, SC, down a steep embankment, hitting several trees along the way.
Hannah fled on foot, leaving James Scott Sullivan still buckled in the passenger seat to die from his injuries, Wilkins said.
Someone driving by saw the car and called 911, but it was too late to save Sullivan's life, according to the prosecution.
Troopers thought the driver had been ejected and searched for his body before investigators determined that the car belonged to Hannah's wife. Investigators said there was an open container of beer and a damaged milk jug that smelled strongly of liquor in the SUV as well.
A witness came to the scene later and said an hour earlier, Hannah had walked up to his home and asked for a ride, prosecutors said.
Hannah's wife returned him to the crash and troopers said they smelled alcohol on him, and he had scrapes on his face.
Wilkins said Hannah told troopers he was the driver. He said Hannah was then taken to the emergency room where a blood sample showed marijuana metabolites and a blood alcohol content level of 0.111 percent.
A judge sentenced Hannah Tuesday to concurrent sentences of 25 years suspended to 12 years on both charges. He will have to serve 12 years before he becomes eligible for parole.
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Billy Hannah (Greenville Co. Detention Center)
