A Detroit man was sentenced last week to three to 15 years in prison after a jury convicted him of driving drunk the wrong way on I-75 and causing a predawn crash in August 2023 that killed a Hazel Park man and injured another driver. The collision happened in the early morning hours of Aug. 26, 2023 near Clark Street, leaving 27-year-old Drasan Clanton dead. Prosecutors said the driver, 44-year-old Damien Eldridge Thomas, was arrested in August 2024 after a Michigan State Police investigation and went to trial this winter.
Jurors found Thomas guilty of operating under the influence causing death, reckless driving causing death, and operating under the influence causing serious injury, and a judge imposed a three to 15 year prison term. According to FOX 2 Detroit, court records and the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office were cited for details of the conviction and sentence.
Court filings show the verdict followed a trial earlier this month, when jurors returned guilty findings on all counts. CBS Detroit reported on the jury’s decision and noted that Thomas had originally been scheduled for sentencing in mid-February.
Michigan State Police troopers were dispatched at about 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 26, 2023 to southbound I-75 near Clark Street after a three-vehicle crash, prosecutors said. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office says Thomas was driving north in the southbound lanes when his vehicle hit another car head-on, killing Clanton of Hazel Park and injuring a 27-year-old Detroit man. Thomas was arrested on Aug. 22, 2024 following the MSP investigation. The charging announcement and timeline came from the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
What the law allows
Under Michigan law, a conviction for operating while intoxicated that causes death is a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and fines typically between $2,500 and $10,000, with certain aggravating factors that can increase penalties. The state’s benchbook and statutory guidance outline how OWI-causing-death and reckless-driving-causing-death charges are prosecuted and sentenced. The Michigan Courts benchbook summarizes the statute and penalties.
Family reaction and case history
Clanton’s family has pushed for answers since the crash, and his mother publicly said she wanted justice as the case moved through the courts. Hoodline documented that plea when it reported Thomas had been charged in the wrong-way I-75 crash, noting the family’s repeated calls to prosecutors during the year-long investigation. That earlier coverage lays out the sequence from the 2023 collision to the 2024 arrest.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office initially announced charges in August 2024, and court records reviewed by local reporters show the conviction and the three to 15 year sentence entered this month. FOX 2 Detroit and the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office provided the reporting and records used in this article.
