Driver hit and killed Marine jogging on NC road, officials say. He just pleaded guilty
A Marine was jogging along a North Carolina road when a pickup truck hit and killed her, officials said.
The driver, 58-year-old William Keith Genens, pulled over his Ford F-150 and tried to flag down another car after the June 27 crash, according to the Sixth Prosecutorial District of North Carolina.
But the district attorney said Genens refused to call 911 “and instead called his adult children to get help for himself.” Other drivers couldn’t save the Camp Lejeune Marine, who may have died on impact, according to officials.
Now, the prosecutor says Genens must serve time in jail after pleading guilty on Tuesday. A news release from District Attorney Ben David’s office didn’t list a lawyer for him.
The Marine, 25-year-old 1st Lt. Justice Regine Stewart, had reportedly been out for a jog on N.C. Highway 50 before the deadly crash. Prosecutors said it happened in Pender County, north of Wilmington.
Stewart was born in Columbia, South Carolina, and is remembered for her volunteer efforts, Leevy’s Funeral Home said in an obituary on its website.
Officials said they couldn’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Genens was driving impaired but were able to pursue an involuntary manslaughter case. Genens pleaded guilty to that charge as well as reckless driving.
He’s ordered to spend about four months in jail, serving the first half of the sentence right away and the other half in December 2021 and December 2022, the month that Stewart was born, officials said.
Genens was also given five years of probation and a suspended sentence of about one or two years. Also, Judge Frank Jones “ordered that Genens must, in person or by video, promote driver education,” the district attorney said in a news release.
This story was originally published September 30, 2021 at 9:57 AM.
