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It was Feb. 17, 2021 when Kimberly Hartley Brown was driving along Ga. 22 West toward Macon.
Seemingly out of nowhere, "a red Dodge pickup truck...completely crossed into her lane," and Brown attempted to swerve. It was too late, however, and the two vehicles collided.
Brown was airlifted to the Medical Center in Macon, while the driver of the pickup truck – James Edwin Dixon, now 50 – remained at the scene. Dixon blew into an intoxilyzer and registered a .21 blood alcohol content, according to a Georgia State Patrol incident report, which is roughly 2.5 times the legal limit. Dixon then was taken to the Medical Center, as well, where he was diagnosed with a broken shoulder. A blood sample was taken, at the request of the GSP, and the blood sample eventually came back with a blood alcohol level of .173, according to the report.
More than a year-and-a-half later, Brown is still recovering, according to the District Attorney's Office. The D.A.'s office was seeking a sentence of eight years behind bars and another seven on probation. Meanwhile, Dixon's attorney – Carl Cansino – was seeking either time in a detention center or a lighter prison sentence for his client. With neither side able to compromise, the case was presented to Judge Amanda Petty, who sentenced Dixon to the full eight years in prison and seven more on probation.
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