DUI defendant in court in wheelchair
Charged with vehicular homicide and DUI in the death of a 13-year-old-girl, Ather Scott made his first court appearance on Tuesday and was wheeled into the courtroom by a Shelby County sheriff’s deputy.
Scott, 43, also is charged with six counts of aggravated assault, reckless driving, driving with a suspended/revoked/ canceled license and financial responsibility.
Scott told General Sessions Court Judge Louis Montesi Jr. he was unable to hire a lawyer and was assigned an attorney from the public defender’s office. Scott remains in jail on $75,000 bond.
After his court appearance, a woman outside the courtroom identified herself as Scott’s mother but did not give her name. She said Scott needed the wheelchair because he was injured in the crash.
She also defended her son, who she said is the father of seven children.
“He’s a good man. He’s a loving father and everything. It was an accident,” the woman said.
According to the police affidavit, officers responded to a crash at Interstate 240 and Interstate 55 at about 8:15 p.m. Sunday.
Scott was heading east in a 2007 Ford F-150 pickup and was swerving in and out of traffic and driving recklessly, officials said.
He lost control of his vehicle, striking a 1998 GMC Sierra that was parked in the eastbound shoulder of I-240. There were six people inside.
Vernita Darryell Williams was transported to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, where she died.
The driver and a passenger were taken to the Regional Medical Center in non-critical condition. The remaining passengers were juveniles. They were taken to Le Bonheur, also in non-critical condition.
Investigators found in Scott’s vehicle an open Seagram’s vodka bottle and several empty beer cans.
He was given field sobriety tests and blood tests, but the results were not included in the police affidavit.
Scott returns to court on Friday.