S.C. woman who caused crash that killed man was impaired by Adderall, solicitor says

SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WYFF/WMBF) - A woman was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty to charges in a crash that killed an Upstate man, and officials said she was impaired by medicine when it happened.

The office of 7th Circuit solicitor Barry Barnett said Jacquelynn Spivey, 53, of Lexington County, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and five years of probation after she admitted to causing the deadly wreck in Spartanburg County while driving under the influence of medication with three children in her car.

Spivey pleaded guilty to felony driving under the influence involving death and child endangerment for the Oct. 11, 2018, wreck that killed Wayne Jerome Johnson, 62, of Landrum, the solicitor’s spokesman Murray Glenn said.

Glenn said Spivey was heading east on Interstate 26 at about 5:40 p.m. when her 2005 Honda Pilot veered off the right shoulder of the road and struck Johnson’s parked 2003 Ford pickup.

The pickup was parked in the emergency lane while Johnson stood in the bed of the vehicle re-securing his load.

Johnson was thrown from his vehicle on impact and died as a result.

Witnesses reported seeing Spivey drive erratically prior to the crash.

Witnesses and Highway Patrol investigators said Spivey spoke in slurred speech and appeared impaired after the crash.

The children inside Spivey’s car were not seriously injured, Glenn said.

A blood test after the crash revealed Spivey had Adderall in her system when the wreck occurred, according to Glenn.

Circuit Judge Mark Hayes issued a 15-year prison sentence suspended to 10 years of service and 5 years of probation. Spivey had no prior criminal record. The guilty plea occurred the morning the case was set for trial, Glenn said.

“Impairment doesn’t always involve alcohol or illegal drugs,” assistant solicitor Spenser Smith said. “It can be as simple as the consumption of medication in the wrong place or the wrong time.”