SALYERSVILLE – The driver in a fatal wreck that occurred last October has taken a plea deal in the case.
On September 26, Sarah Spurling, 34, of Louisville, signed a plea deal with the Commonwealth Attorney’s office, pleading guilty to vehicular homicide (Class B felony); first-degree wanton endangerment (Class D felony); driving under the influence, first offense, aggravator (Class B misdemeanor). In exchange for her guilty plea, the Commonwealth Attorney agrees to recommend to the judge at sentencing 15 years in prison for vehicular homicide, 5 years for wanton endangerment and 30 days in jail for the DUI, as well as $525 administrative fee, attend ADE school and a 90-day license suspension. The Commonwealth will recommend the sentencing on each count run concurrently, and she is to have no contact with the families of Roger Arnett or Pernell Lemaster Jr.
According to the original police report, on October 4, 2024, law enforcement was called to the scene of the wreck at the junction of KY Rt 114 and U.S. 460 East at approximately 7:42 p.m. When Kentucky State Police arrived, the operator of the first vehicle was sitting on the ground. Sarah Spurling, 33, of Louisville, driving a 2013 Toyota Avalon, told police she was talking to her daughter on the phone when she took her eyes off the road for a moment, but when she looked up another vehicle was stopped in the road in front of her. She told police she tried to stop, but was unable to do so, inevitably striking the vehicle, a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, driven by Roger Arnett, and knocking him into the opposing lane, striking another vehicle, a 2006 GMC Sierra, operated by Pernell J. Lemaster.
Roger Arnett, 64, of Salyersville, was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries sustained in the collision and was pronounced deceased by Johnson County Deputy Coroner Harry Frisby.
Kentucky State Police Trooper M. McKinney reported in the arrest citation that he could smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from Spurling and noted that she was lethargic and slurring her speech. When asked, she told police she had drunk a beer with lunch approximately 5 ½ hours earlier, and failed several of the field sobriety tests.
She was placed under arrest for driving under the influence and police transported her to Paul B. Hall ARH for a chemical test, which she declined, but police obtained a search warrant for her blood to be drawn and blood was taken.
Spurling was then transported to the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center for lodging, but she refused due to her being involved in an accident, so she was taken back to the hospital to be medically cleared before she was transported back to the jail, where she has remained since her arrest last year.
Spurling is scheduled for sentencing on October 16 at the Magoffin County Justice Center.
With the three charges, she was facing up to 32 ½ years in prison.
Editor’s Note: The indictment or charge of a person by a grand jury or otherwise is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
