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30 years in jail for drunk driving father in deaths of 5 children

A man accused of contributing to the death of five children in a terrible north Houston auto accident has been sentenced by a Harris County judge.  The accused, Chanton Jenkins, 34, is now facing 30 years in jail.  The sentence is better than a plea deal he was offered of 50 years behind bars.  He could be eligible for parole in 15 years.

Jenkins was driving a 2000 Lincoln LS when he crashed it into Greens Bayou.  He, his adult brother, and a 10 year old boy were able to escape.  In a chilling moment of courtroom testimony, Jenkins admitted that he climbed over the seats in the back of the van containing the children who later died in order to escape out the back window.

After the crash, Jenkins was charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter, and could have faced five consecutive life sentences.  The five children killed in the crash belonged to three different mothers, two of whom asked the Harris County judge for leniency in sentencing.  The third mother did not want leniency, stating that Jenkins refused to admit that he was intoxicated when the crash happened and wasn’t fully taking responsibility for his actions.

Two and a half hours after the accident Jenkins’ blood alcohol level was 0.079, which is just below the 0.08 legal limit in Texas.  However, he was deemed to have been over the legal limit at the time of the crash because his BAC was so elevated hours later.  A blood test also revealed small quantities of marijuana and PCP.

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