CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A woman pleaded guilty Thursday to vehicular homicide and other charges stemming from a December 2025 head-on crash that killed a Clarksville Police school crossing guard.
Maleah Alyssa Ferguson Ridley, 25, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide by intoxication and two counts of vehicular assault, according to District Attorney General Robert Nash. All other charges were dismissed in settlement.
On the evening of Dec. 19, 2025, Clarksville Police responded to the crash on 101st Airborne Division Parkway between Peachers Mill Road and the West Fork Bridge, according to previous Clarksville Now reports. They found that a car traveling westbound crossed into oncoming traffic and struck a car head-on.
Latrice Dodson, 46, was a passenger in the car that was hit and died at the scene. She was not on duty at the time. The driver and juvenile passenger who were in the vehicle with Dodson were in stable condition.
CPD spokesperson Scott Beaubien previously told Clarksville Now that Dodson began her service with CPD in August 2025 and was a dedicated member of the school safety team. Beaubien said she helped ensure the safe passage of students each day at Kenwood and Ringgold Elementary Schools. “Her commitment to protecting children and supporting the Clarksville community will not be forgotten,” he said.
Ridley was sentenced last week to serve 18 years for the homicide at 100% at the Tennessee Department of Corrections and two years for each assault charge, with all counts running concurrently, according to court records. Nash said the sentence will be served with no possibility of parole.
Ridley must also pay $15,900 in child support restitution for Dodson’s family. Nash said, as part of the plea agreement, the child support payments will be made for the next 53 months.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Garrison L. Luckett with assistance from Victim Witness Coordinator Courtney Briggs. The lead investigator was Jorge Castillo with the Clarksville Police Department’s Fatal Accident Crash Team.
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