A former Walker County Sheriff’s Office deputy pleaded guilty to manslaughter Tuesday in the 2019 incident that led to the death of a local teenager.
Blake Carter Hudson was indicted in July 2020 from an accident that happened Aug. 2, 2019, causing the death of 14-year-old Austin Aaron, who was riding an all-terrain vehicle when Hudson’s patrol car collided with the ATV.
The indictment stated that Hudson recklessly caused Aaron’s death by “driving his patrol vehicle at excessive speeds for the posted speed limit and/or driving his patrol vehicle in an unsafe manner for the circumstances for the driving conditions.”
The document further stated that Hudson failed to activate his patrol vehicle’s emergency lights and siren. He was also under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash, which took place at the intersection of Alabama Highway 269 and Old Tuscaloosa Road in Jasper.
District Attorney Bill Adair confirmed Wednesday morning that Hudson did plead guilty to manslaughter on Tuesday, receiving an eight-year suspended sentence with five years of supervised probation. Hudson also must surrender his APOST certification to never work in law enforcement again and attend alcohol treatment.
“It’s over! It’s finally over! What we thought was going to be a hearing this morning to discuss evidence turned into Blake Hudson taking a guilty plea on manslaughter charges,” Amanda Aaron, the child’s mother posted to her a Facebook page on Tuesday night. “I never thought this day would come. Honestly, I even had my doubts that we would receive justice given the circumstances, but but we did. To hear Blake finally say I’m guilty was the biggest relief you could ever imagine.”
Aaron also thanked the Walker County District Attorney’s Office for its work on the case.
“I personally would like to thank District Attorney Bill Adair and Assistant District Attorney Bryan Warren,” she said in her post. “We couldn’t have done this without all of your hard work and perseverance in making sure that even the sheriff’s department isn’t above the law…Thank you to everyone who has prayed for our family. Without all those prayers, I don’t know if I could have gotten through these past three years and eight months. Now I can finally start properly grieving the loss of my child.”
