Did a Virginia teen get away with murder – twice?

When a teenager is involved in a serious alcohol-related accident, we like to think that it can be a life changing event that causes them to reevaluate their priorities and behavior.  For some young people, being involved in a crash after drinking and driving can lead to a dramatic change.

Take the example of Sarah Panzau, who in 2003 was seriously injured and believed dead after a car accident in which she was found to have four times the legal blood alcohol content.  Now 27, Ms. Panzau travels the country speaking to teenagers about the dangers of drinking and driving.  Fortunately for Panzau, she was the only one injured in her accident; she does not have to carry the burden of having taken another life.

The same cannot be said for Arkee Hall, who in 2002 was found guilty in juvenile court of improper driving in a Stafford county accident that killed Dwayne Beach Jr.  Hall did not stop at one auto death; in 2004 he was convicted of manslaughter after he lost control of his truck and his passenger, Jeremiah Poyck, was killed in the resulting crash.

Two accidents, both related to Hall’s bad driving.  Is that the end for Hall?  Did he change his ways?  Was the Virginia justice system able to keep him from harming anyone else?  No.  Instead, the grandmother of his first victim saw Hall’s name not long ago on a list of DUI arrests in Spotsylvania County.  In addition, last month Hall was charged with a DUI in Florida.

Hall’s DUIs are especially concerning because after his second fatal accident a judge ruled that he was not allowed to drive for 20 years.  Clearly having the blood of two innocent victims on his hands is not enough to keep Hall from engaging in seriously dangerous behavior.  And where is the Virginia justice system here?  Two deaths and at least two DUIs – and Hall is free, basically getting away with murder.  That isn’t justice, it’s criminal.