A former football team manager at Wise High School, 25-year-old Sarah Clingman, was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday for her role in a fatal drunk driving crash that killed three friends. The group of friends had gathered the night before to send off Minnesota Vikings rookie Khyree Jackson and included other Wise teammates Isaiah Hazel and Anthony Lytton Jr.
The crash occurred on July 6, 2024, when Clingman was driving at speeds over 100 mph and clipped another car before hitting the car driven by Hazel, who lost control and crashed into a tree stump. Hazel and Jackson died in the accident, while Lytton died later in a hospital.
Clingman pleaded guilty to three counts of negligent homicide while under the influence of alcohol and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, suspended for all but three years. Her attorney argued that she was remorseful and had started a flower business as a tribute to her victims, but prosecutors said her actions did not excuse her behavior.
The judge recognized the severity of taking three lives and noted Clingman’s “conscious” choice to drink and drive. The state’s attorney called on young people to learn from the tragedy, saying “speed and alcohol kills.”
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2026/02/08/maryland-crash-sentence-nfl-rookie