A Monticello man has been sentenced to serve 12 years in prison for aggravated DUI in a wreck that claimed a Columbia man's life in 2016.
James Odell Lambert, 36, pleaded guilty in Marion County Circuit Court on Feb. 21, according to court documents.
Circuit Judge Tony Mozingo sentenced Lambert to 20 years with 12 to serve, which was in accordance with a plea deal between Lambert and prosecutors.
Lambert's guilty plea stated he operated a motor vehicle on Nov. 18, 2016, while under the influence of methamphetamine, causing the death of Ricky Bourne, 58, of Columbia. Highway Patrol reports at the time said Lambert's truck crossed the center line and hit Bourne's truck head-on along Mississippi 13 South in Pine Burr. Aggravated DUI carries a possible sentence of five years to 25 years.
Lambert had a previous felony DUI conviction from 2002 in Copiah County, according to court records.
