The accident occurred Nov. 27 at the entrance to Tractor Supply Company, 1637 E. U.S. 36. Morgan was a front seat passenger in a 1998 Lincoln Mark VIII that Eaton was driving.
Eaton was in the westbound lanes of U.S. 36 and was turning into the business entrance when the car was struck by a 1998 Dodge Ram driven by Derek Ramsey of Urbana. The impact forced Eaton’s car to spin into a 2015 Toyota Rav4 driven by Lon Peters, of Mechanicsburg, while it was stopped in the driveway of the TSC entrance.
Morgan was pronounced dead at the scene. Her daughter, Tiffany Wiford, 20, was in the back seat and had to be cut from the wreckage. She was flown to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton and treated for serious injuries.
Eaton pleaded guilty to two felony charges of third-degree aggravated vehicular homicide during a hearing on July 1, according to the Champaign County Clerk of Courts.
Eaton had been charged with two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and operating a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana, according to the indictment record released by Champaign County courts.
“I felt the prison sentence was appropriate especially given the fact…that he didn’t seem to understand or appreciate the seriousness of his offense,” Champaign County prosecutor Kevin Talebi said.
In the journal entry from the sentencing, the court determined that Eaton was likely to commit future crimes.
Just six weeks after the crash, Eaton was driving under the influence of marijuana and caused damage to another vehicle. He spent 10 days in jail for the offense. The court also reported that four months following the Nov. incident, Eaton had still been using marijuana recreationally.
Talebi is concerned that there are not clear rules in place for marijuana usage.
“This is the…discussion taking place in our country and state with regards to legalization of marijuana,” he said. “This is a statistic to track more and more to determine in more and more individuals who are being charged and convicted of driving under the influence of marijuana versus alcohol.”
Eaton will receive post-release control for three years after his release.
About the Author