BERRIEN COUNTY, MI (WOWO) You’ve seen the signs warning against speeding or recklessly driving in work zones and the severe penalties for ignoring them and causing injury or death of a worker. A Michigan man is now facing the consequences of ignoring those signs.
A Buchanan man has been found guilty in the drunk driving death of a Berrien County road worker.
A jury convicted thirty-seven-year-old Taylor Johnson on Monday of driving while intoxicated causing death following a three-day trial at the Niles Courthouse. The verdict was reported by WNDU and The Herald-Palladium.
The case stems from a July 20, 2022 crash along Red Bud Trail in Oronoko Township. Police say fifty-seven-year-old William “Mack” Isom was trimming trees and branches in the roadway while working for the Berrien County Road Department when he was struck and killed.
According to reporting from The Herald-Palladium, blood alcohol testing showed Johnson had a blood alcohol level above .13, which is well over Michigan’s legal limit of .08.
Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on March 23. He faces a maximum penalty of up to fifteen years in prison and a fine of up to ten thousand dollars.
