Man Sentenced to 30 Years After Fourth DUI

In August, a Georgia man pled guilty to charges of DUI manslaughter and leaving the scene of a crash. Early last month, that man, Matthew David Frye, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his part in the incident that took the life of John Leone, 19.

According to reports, Leone was driving his motorcycle eastbound on West Gate Parkway. Frye attempted to turn his vehicle into the Thornton Park Apartments, failing to yield to Leone. The motorcycle driver crashed into the front end of the car driven by Frye and died just 11 days later.

Frye did not remain on scene after the accident. Instead, he fled into the apartment complex where he attempted to evade police. Witnesses identified him as the driver of the car and he was subsequently arrested. When given a blood-alcohol content test, Frye registered .181, more than twice the legal limit in Georgia.

Frye will spend a maximum of 30 years in prison and will spend 11 years on probation upon his release. As part of his sentence, Frye has permanently lost his driver’s license.

The man has publicly blamed the criminal justice system for failing to secure him the proper treatment after his previous arrests. It should be noted, however, that part of Frye’s criminal record is a failure to complete court-ordered treatment. According to court records, Frye completed DUI classes twice and classes for substance abuse once.

Frye believes that he is an alcoholic and has a problem, yet he does not feel as though the legal system has done anything to help him address that problem. He has also expressed remorse for the death of Leone. Frye did clarify his statements regarding his need for help and not having received any by saying that treatment he received in or out of jail did not help him.