State representative takes plea deal in 2024 drunk driving collision
Rep. Kevin Hensley, R-Townsend, has lost his driver’s license for a year and is on probation following 2024 crash near Milford.
Hensley pleaded guilt to third-degree vehicular assault and driving under the influence for the crash near the Valero gas station on Route 1. The Attorney General’s Office said Hensley, 59, was exiting the Valero when he pulled in front of a Ford Fusion, causing the Ford to roll before coming to a rest. The victim was cut and complained of chest pain from the activation of the airbag, before dying a few weeks later from a stroke and brain tumor, according to the medical examiner.
Hensley and his adult daughter were not injured in the crash. He failed field sobriety tests, and registered .142 blood alcohol concentration on a portable breathalyzer test and .16 BAC on a blood draw, officials said. In Delaware, a person with a BAC of .08 or greater is considered impaired.
Hensley will lose his driver’s license for a year, pay a $500 fine, undergo DUI instruction and be on probation. His sentence of 18 months in prison was suspended. Although Hensley was convicted in 2009 of reckless driving alcohol related, state law says a prior DUI must have occurred within 10 years in order to be considered a second offense.
Hensley’s sentence is consistent with both the statutory sentencing range for the charges against him and with recent sentences against similarly charged defendants, said Attorney General Kathleen Jennings.
