Wrong-Way Truck Driver Sentenced to 20 Years

The man who was facing numerous charges for allegedly driving the wrong way in a garbage truck on I-24 in March of 2017 has entered guilty pleas and been sentenced.

Dalton Lampley was facing two counts of 1st degree assault, nine counts of criminal mischief, 25 counts of wanton endangerment, and one count each of reckless driving and fleeing or evading police. He appeared in court Friday before Judge Tim Kaltenbach.

Lampley's attorney, Jeremy Ian Smith, said the 1st degree assault charges were class B felonies with a sentence of 10-20 years if convicted. They are also violent offenses, requiring the offender to serve 85 percent of the sentence before being eligible for parole. Instead, Smith said Lampley plead guilty to amended charges of 2nd degree assault, which are class C felonies with a sentence of 5-10 years in prison. In addition, Smith said Lampley would only have to serve 20 percent of the sentence before parole eligibility.

Lampley waived a formal sentencing, and received a sentence of 20 years in prison. 

Multiple law enforcement agencies pursued Lampley from Paducah to Marshall County, where he was arrested. He still faces additional charges there.