DETROIT – A driver has been charged for a crash that left one person dead and two injured on I-75.
Crash details
The crash happened around 2:30 a.m. Aug. 26, 2023, in the southbound lanes of I-75 near Clark Street in Detroit.
Police said Damien Eldridge Thomas, 42, of Detroit, was heading north in the southbound lanes and crashed his white SUV head-on into a Kia and a Volkswagen.
The driver of the Kia -- later identified as 27-year-old Drasan Clanton, of Hazel Park -- was found unconscious outside his car. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Thomas and the 27-year-old Detroit man driving the Volkswagen suffered serious injuries, officials said. They were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Officials believe Thomas was drunk at the time of the crash.
Charges
Michigan State Police arrested Thomas on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024.
He was arraigned at 11 a.m. Friday at 36th District Court on charges of operating while intoxicated causing death and reckless driving causing death.
“His blood-alcohol content was .131,” arraignment Prosecutor Jennifer Douglas said. “There was THC detected, there was ketamine detected, though not quantified. The blood draw was done at 7 a.m., which is four and a half hours after this crash, and so four and a half hours later, his blood-alcohol content was still .131, which is pretty high for that much time to have passed.”
Douglas asked for a $100,000 bond, cash/surety, and the defense attorney asked for $50,000, with 10%.
The defense attorney said Thomas works as a personal trainer at a gym.
Bond was set at $50,000, with 10%, as requested by the defense attorney.
Thomas isn’t allowed to drive or drink alcohol. He has to wear a GPS and follow a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
A bond redetermination hearing was scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 26, in the event that bond can’t be paid.
A probable cause conference is scheduled for Aug. 30, and a preliminary examination is scheduled for Sept. 6.
Traffic tickets discussed at arraignment
The magistrate said Thomas had failed to appear in court for traffic matters, and that’s why a warrant was issued for his arrest.
He had tickets for driving with a suspended license, operating without a license in his possession, and driving with an invalid license.
A pretrial hearing for those traffic matters was scheduled for Sept. 16, 2024.
You can watch the full arraignment here:
