A Shreveport man was convicted of felony fourth-DWI in a trial that concluded Wednesday, October 20, 2021, in Caddo District Court.
The four-woman, two-man jury in District Judge Chris Victory’s courtroom found Ethan Chumley, 42, guilty-as-charged in a trial that began October 18, 2021, and ended after deliberations of more than two hours. Chumley will return for sentencing December 9, 2021.
The case arose January 2, 2018, when Chumley drove his Ford F-350 pickup truck through a stop sign at the corner of Southern Loop and Linwood Avenue, rear-ending a Toyota Camry at 60 mph, 10 miles above the posted speed limit. Evidence showed that Chumley never applied his brakes. The impact crushed the back of the victim’s car, leading to the victim spending weeks in the hospital and in rehab for a broken femur. Chumley’s truck hurtled more than 140 feet into nearby woods.
Prosecutors offered evidence of Chumley’s prior DWI convictions, two in 2007 and one in 2016. Prosecutors also showed that Chumley confessed to having consumed four beers before driving and refused to submit to an Intoxilyzer breath test.
Prosecutors were William Gaskins and Brittany Arvie. Chumley was defended by Daryl Gold and Dhu Thompson.