GAFFNEY, S.C. — Samantha Rhinehart was sentenced to 20 years in prison after the 28-year-old admitted to being under the influence of meth when she caused a wreck that claimed the life of her 8-year-old daughter and injured two others.
Back in January, Rhinehart was driving a 2001 Ford truck with seven passengers, including her 8-year-old daughter, Anna Marie Rhinehart. She was doing around 62 mph in a 45 mph zone when she lost control of the truck and ended up slamming into a tree. Rhinehart’s daughter was thrown from the truck on impact and died from multiple head injuries.
Rhinehart, who was driving with a suspended driver’s license and admitted she’d used meth sometime before the crash, was arrested and charged with felony driving under the influence with a death, and two counts of felony driving under the influence with great bodily injury.
The charges were upgraded to reckless homicide, two counts of first-degree assault and battery, and child endangerment after tests revealed the that meth was in her urine, and not in her blood, meaning she’d taken the drug shortly before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle with seven passengers.
After pleading guilty to the charges, Samantha Rhinehart was sentenced to 20-years behind bars followed by a consecutive 10-year prison sentence that was suspended to 5 years of probation.
Samantha Rhinehart has a history of driving when she shouldn’t be, with multiple convictions for driving under suspension. Personally, I am all for people being charged with homicide if they kill someone while driving impaired. Hell, I woudn’t care if they were charged with second-degree murder.
