On the morning of Nov. 7, Jayden Ethington, returned to the Randolph County Courthouse for what was originally scheduled to be a bench trial.
It was noted that in the case against Ethington, 23, of Sparta, a resolution had been reached through an open negotiated plea with Ethington pleading guilty to the charge of an aggravated DUI crash resulting in a death.
The charge stems a fatal accident that took place late in the evening of June 23, 2023 during the annual Firemen’s Picnic in Red Bud. Ethington, who was 20 at the time of the incident, was driving a pickup truck the wrong way on West South 1st Street (a one way street), pulling out onto South Main Street and striking Kimberly A. Martin, 56, a pedestrian who had been crossing Main Street. Martin passed due to her injuries while being airlifted to a St. Louis area hospital.
For more on Ethington, please see this week’s print edition.