KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A man who was convicted of drinking and driving was sentenced to serve 180 days in jail, according to a release sent Friday from the District Attorney's Office.
Prosecutors said Eric Austin Byrd, 39, was convicted of his first DUI offense, failing to maintain his lane and failing to exercise due care. Prosecutors said Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers responded to a 911 call about a single-vehicle car crash on South Northshore Drive on June 18, 2022. There, they said they found Byrd.
According to prosecutors, he was the driver and only occupant in the vehicle. They said he had slurred speech and was unsteady, failing sobriety tests and refusing to provide a blood sample for testing. Prosecutors said Byrd's mother later arrived at the crash and when she arrived, he asked her to tell law enforcement that she was driving the car.
No injuries were reported in the crash, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said on top of the 180-day sentence, he was fined $1,500 and his license would be revoked for a year.
