CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A Clarksville man has been sentenced to five years of probation after being convicted of vehicular homicide and several other charges in a 2023 head-on collision that involved five vehicles.
On April 23, Samuel Thornton, 25, was found guilty by a Montgomery County jury on the following charges: vehicular homicide by reckless conduct, reckless aggravated assault, two counts of reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, driving while his license was suspended, revoked or cancelled, improper lane change, failure to exercise due care, and speeding.
As previously reported, on June 7, 2023, Thornton was traveling west on the 41A Bypass when his SUV crossed the double yellow lines going 70 in a 50 mph speed limit zone. He hit two other SUVs, a pickup truck and a semi-truck.
One of the drivers, Angela Hoilett, 48, was killed, and another driver was critically injured. Thornton was arrested on the charges in November 2023.
Defendant apologizes: ‘I’m deeply and sincerely sorry’
During the sentencing hearing on Aug. 21, no victim impact statements were made in court. Thornton addressed the court, along with six character witnesses speaking on his behalf.
“I’m deeply and sincerely sorry,” Thornton said. “I take full accountability for my actions. I know that I should’ve realized my condition that day and not have operated my vehicle.”
Thornton said he thinks about what happened every day and that he “never intended for anyone to be hurt.” He said in the moments before the crash, he remembers listening to the radio and then waking up after impact. Thornton added he was unsure about what caused him to pass out, but that it might be attributed to exhaustion from overnight shifts at work or dehydration.
“I respectfully ask the court who I am beyond the worst day of my life,” he said. “If I’m given the opportunity, I want to spend the rest of my life making positive contributions to my family, my community and the people around me.”
Defendant’s family: ‘It weighs on him’
Michael Koons, Thornton’s stepfather, told the court his son had been taking college classes to become a physical trainer when a house fire destroyed many of the family’s belongings. Koons said Thornton had to stop going to college and get a full-time job to help the family recover. “He’s always been one of those people that is willing to help and do for others,” he said.
Koons said he never observed Thornton being reckless and described him as “cautious.” He added that since the accident, Thornton has been remorseful and does not like driving at night anymore. “You could definitely see that it weighs on his shoulders,” Koons said.
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Tammy Brooks, Thornton’s mother, described her son as “compassionate, sensitive and smart.” Brooks said growing up Thornton did well in school and she never had any problems with him. She shared a story from his childhood: Brooks bought her kids lunch and while driving by a couple of homeless people, she said Thornton asked to give his food away. When she told him she did not have the money to buy him more lunch right now, he responded, “That’s OK. They need it more than we do.”
Brooks said her son’s character has remained the same to this day.
Prosecution, defense argue over judicial diversion
Assistant District Attorney Crystal Morgan argued against judicial diversion, saying the offense involved multiple victims and that Thornton had “no hesitation in committing a crime when the risk for life was high.”
Morgan also addressed Thornton’s statement referring to his condition. “There was no medical proof at trial that there was any kind of medical condition to explain why the defendant crossed the double yellow in rush hour traffic on that day,” she said, adding there was also no proof he was unconscious or asleep.
She pointed to the multi-vehicle crash that ensued, adding that some of the drivers from the crash are still dealing with health conditions or injuries as a result. “But Angela Hoilett died while on the phone with her husband because of the defendant,” she said. “Even if the defendant had a medical condition … he shouldn’t have been driving at all because he had a suspended license.”
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Defense attorney Nicholas Bellamy argued in favor of judicial diversion, pointing to Thornton’s limited criminal history – a speeding ticket and a seatbelt violation. Bellamy said there was no evidence Thornton was aware in the moments before the crash, adding there was “no change in steering input for five seconds leading up to the collision.”
He added the potential increase in speed in the moments before the crash “could be attributed to inertia – going downhill.” Bellamy argued Thornton’s mental capacity at the time of the offense reduces his culpability. “He lost consciousness without warning or without any prior episode that would have put him on notice,” he said.
Bellamy said Thornton was a “favorable candidate for alternative sentencing.” He pointed to Thornton’s family support system, the lack of deterrence proof presented in court and that Thornton had been on bond for years “with zero violations.”
Sentencing: 5 years of probation
Judge Robert Bateman denied judicial diversion and instead sentenced Thornton to five years of probation with his license revoked for the term of the probation. Thornton was sentenced as a Range I offender for vehicular homicide by reckless conduct, a Class C Felony subject to three to six years. He received a five-year probation sentence for the vehicular homicide by reckless conduct, with the sentences from all other counts to “run concurrent with each other.”
“This incident occurred on a highly travelled road in Montgomery County,” Bateman said. “The defendant was crossing the double yellow line and was sustained being in the other lane for a significant period of time before the impact with all the vehicles.”
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