A St. Mary’s County judge sentenced Kendall Deshong Young, 34, of Avenue, to 10 years in prison, with eight years to serve, for the vehicular manslaughter of a Leonardtown-area man he struck while driving distracted last year, State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling announced Monday. Young was also ordered to five years of supervised probation, a victim impact panel, a driver improvement course, and 200 hours of community service.
The crash happened March 19, 2025, when Maryland State Police troopers responded to Point Lookout Road and St. Andrews Church Road in Leonardtown for a two-vehicle collision. According to Sterling’s office, the victim — identified in a family obituary as James Michael “Mike” Lacey, 66, of Avenue — was standing outside his vehicle on the shoulder with his hazard lights on when Young drove onto the shoulder, struck both Lacey and the rear of his vehicle, and killed him.
Prosecutors said Young was using his cell phone at the time of the crash, and a witness driving ahead of him reported watching him use his phone and drive erratically for roughly five miles leading up to the collision. “I am grateful to the citizens who stopped to render aid and provided crucial evidence to the police,” Sterling said. “A phone behind the wheel can become a weapon in an instant. Like drunk driving, distracted driving is a dangerous choice, and when that choice takes a life, the law should recognize the gravity of that harm.”
Sterling used the case to renew her call for the Maryland General Assembly to reclassify vehicular manslaughter as a crime of violence. Under current state law, the offense carries a maximum 10-year sentence and isn’t classified as violent, which affects how much of a sentence a defendant must serve before becoming parole-eligible. Sterling, who sits on the legislative committee of the Maryland State’s Attorneys Association, has pushed the change through a bill known as Jamari’s Law, which would also double the maximum sentence for vehicular manslaughter to 20 years.
The bill failed to advance during the 2026 legislative session despite testimony from grieving families and support from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, but has been reintroduced for the coming session with a target effective date of October 2026. “Vehicular manslaughter should be a crime of violence,” Sterling said. “Families who lose a loved one deserve a law that recognizes the seriousness of their loss, and I will continue to fight for victims, their families, and our community to right that wrong.”
Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Carolynn Grammas prosecuted the case. Trooper First Class Hunter Gardner of the Maryland State Police CRASH Team led the investigation. Judge Kevin Hill presided.
