Last week, a Fort Liberty soldier, Stephen Patrick Williams, 25, was handed a minimum four-year imprisonment sentence for causing a fatal accident under the influence of alcohol, which resulted in the death of Amanda Marie Qualls, a Fayetteville mother, according to court documents.
Williams pleaded guilty in Cumberland County Superior Court on Dec. 5 to felony death by motor vehicle and driving while impaired, following a crash that occurred on July 16, 2022. He received a sentence ranging from four years and four months to six years and two months.
The incident took place on Raeford Road where Williams, driving a GMC Sierra at 78 mph, failed to stop at a red light and ended up T-boning Qualls’ car as she entered the intersection on a green light from Hoke Loop Road. She sadly lost her life at the scene.
Following the accident, which resulted in serious injuries for Williams, the officers present at the scene detected the smell of alcohol on him. A subsequent blood test revealed that his blood alcohol level was 0.20, significantly exceeding the legal driving limit of 0.08. Furthermore, his system tested positive for ketamine, a drug with medical uses but is also regarded as a hallucinogenic “club drug”.
Williams, originally from Connecticut, held the rank of private first-class in the 82nd Airborne Division, confirmed a division spokesperson last year.
Qualls was a Fayetteville native who worked in her family’s restaurant, Caffe Opa. She left behind a young son.
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