Man convicted for deadly Maryland I-695 work zone crash detained for violating probation
A man who was involved in a 2023 deadly work zone crash along I-695 in Maryland was detained for violating his probation, according to the Baltimore County State's Attorney's Office.
Melachi Brown, 22, was initially sentenced to 18 months in prison for his role in the crash that left six construction workers dead in March 2023. He pleaded guilty to six felony manslaughter counts as part of a plea deal, according to court records.
He was released early in June 2024 and ordered to serve home detention.
Brown was also ordered to serve three years of probation after his release from prison and 40 hours of community service. He was also prohibited from driving a car until the end of his probation term.
Brown convicted for deadly work zone crash
Court records show that Brown was found to be speeding during the deadly crash.
His car and the car of another woman, Lisa Lea, crashed into the work zone after Lea collided with Brown's car at high speed.
Lea was also sentenced for the deadly crash after police found she was driving over 100 mph when her car collided with Brown's.
Lea was sentenced to 30 years in prison in January after she pleaded guilty to six counts of vehicular manslaughter.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that she drove across three lanes of traffic before she hit Brown's car.
She had delta-9 THC in her system and cyclobenzaprine, a medication that may have impaired her driving, according to the NTSB.
Previous offense
In December, Brown was pulled over for driving without a license, raising concerns for the brother of one of the victims.
According to police documents, Brown was pulled over for non-working taillights. During the traffic stop, Brown told the officer he did not have a license. He further said he was driving for his friends who were leaving a hospital and going to McDonald's.
Jim DiMaggio, the brother of one of the victims, previously said he believes Brown got a slap on the wrist.
"I'm disappointed with our judicial system. I'm disappointed with him for doing what he did," DiMaggio said. "It's hard. My niece and nephew, they didn't even get to say goodbye. I just can't imagine. My biggest thing is slow down. Nobody should have to go through what my family and five other families went through."
