A Hope Mills man who was impaired when he drove the wrong way on N.C. 87, striking another vehicle head-on and killing a man, pleaded guilty in Cumberland County Superior Court last week.
Johnnie Lee Jenkins Jr., 47, pleaded guilty to felony death by vehicle in the June 10, 2023, killing of Joshua Rafael Martinez Gonzalez , 28, of Fayetteville. He also pleaded to an unrelated charge of stalking.
Jenkins was given a consolidated sentence of four years, 10 months to six years, 10 months in prison, according to court records. The record states he was given credit for the more than four months he spent in jail awaiting trial. In exchange for the plea, charges of driving while impaired, careless and reckless driving, expired registration, no inspection and habitual felon were dismissed, according to the record.
In handing down the sentence, Cumberland County Superior Court Judge Claire Hill recommended Jenkins undergo substance abuse treatment, court records state.
According to an arrest warrant, Jenkins was driving a Toyota RAV4 the wrong way in the northbound lanes of N.C. 87 when he collided head-on with Gonzalez’s Kia Soul.