Raleigh County man pleads guilty to DUI resulting in death

BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - A Raleigh County man pleaded guilty to Driving Impaired Causing Death on Tuesday.

Prosecuting Attorney Ben Hatfield said that Nicholas Farthing was driving at a high rate of speed on I-64 East in Beaver on April 13, 2020, when he rammed into the back of a car being driven by Kenneth Isaiah Brown.

Brown was instantly killed in the crash.

At Tuesday’s plea hearing Farthing pleaded guilty to the charge, which carries a possible sentence between 3-15 years in prison and a $1,000-$3,000 fine.

At the time of the crash, Hatfield said Farthing had a .217 blood alcohol level, in excess of two times the legal limit. Farthing was captured on surveillance drinking at the Crash Zone bar, which was operating during a time frame when Gov. Jim Justice had shutdown bars during that part of the Pandemic.

Hatfield attributed the delay in prosecution to efforts to secure data, including from the black boxes inside of the vehicles to determine the rate of Farthing’s speed. He said Farthing was recorded driving more than 150 miles per hour at the time of the crash.

“Getting them answers (the family) so they can process their grief and process what they’re going through adequately is one of my paramount concerns. I never want survivors to have unanswered questions in a case that I’ve been involved in.”

A sentencing date will be set after a Pre-sentencing report. At that time, Hatfield said he will argue for the maximum sentence.

The Raleigh County Sheriff’s Dept. handled the investigation.