A man who claimed he was trying to fled from zombies has pleaded guilty to several charges.
Jeremiah Clyde Hartline of Tennessee was driving wildly on Interstate 15 after stealing a big rig. He had stowed away in the truck and stole in when the driver got out at roadside scales near Temecula, Calif at around 6 p.m. on April 16, U-T San Diego reports.
Hartline then proceeded to swerve the rig back and forth across the road, claiming that he was trying to shake off zombies that were clinging to the side of the strawberry trailer. He told the California Highway Patrol that he had to speed and swerve to try to flee the walking dead.
He hit several cars and his actions caused a chain reaction of crashes on the highway before the big rig turned over and spilled its load of strawberries. Seven people were injured in the incident. However the strawberries were spared as much of the load was left undamaged. The strawberries were donated to local food pantries and nonprofits following the crash.
On Monday, Hartline accepted a plea deal offered by the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. He pleaded guilty to charges of assault with a deadly weapon, hit and run causing death or injury, and vehicle theft as well as one allegation of causing great bodily injury according to court records. In exchange for accepting these charges, four other charges, which included reckless driving with injury, were dismissed.
If he was convicted of all seven counts, Hartline could have received up to 12 years and four months in prison following a trial according to District Attorney's Office spokesman John Hall. Rather than the12 years, Hartline will spend up to five years in prison and he is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24.
It is not clear if Hartline was under the influence at the time or if he tried to use his zombie argument in court.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
