GILLENTINE
By William Moore
Daily Journal
TUPELO – A 28-year-old man will spend the next 10 years behind bars after pleading guilty last week to the August 2013 death of former teacher Elizabeth “Betty” Montgomery.
John Shannon Gillentine, of 148 Highway 30E, Oxford, entered a guilty plea on Oct. 22 to the charge of DUI death, which carries up to 25 years in prison. Wednesday morning, Circuit Court Judge Jim Pounds sentenced him to 20 years, with 10 years suspended. Gillentine will serve the remaining 10 years and have 5 years of post-release supervision when he is released.
Montgomery, 64, of Tupelo, was hit by Gillentine’s vehicle while on her morning walk before 6 a.m. near the corner of Allyson and Lakeshire drives. She was taken to North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo where she died from injuries sustained from the collision. Another person was walking with Montgomery but was not injured.
After being charged, Gillentine was initially held on a $300,000 bond. Judge Pounds lowered that amount to $50,000 under the condition that on release, he would enter a rehabilitation facility for no less than 30 days, he would not drive and would take drug tests twice a week. The judge’s ruling further stipulated that a single failed drug test would return Gillentine to the Lee County-Tupelo Adult Jail.
The trail was originally slated for May 2014. That was delayed until August and further as the district attorney’s office began working on the plea agreement.