Durham man sentenced to prison for 2018 crash that killed detention officer

The man accused of driving a stolen car that crashed during a police pursuit last year, killing an off-duty Durham County detention worker accepted a plea deal on Tuesday and was ordered to prison for up to 24 years.

Posted 6:27 p.m. Mar 26, 2019 — Updated 1:23 p.m. Mar 27, 2019

Sarah Krueger, WRAL reporter,

and

Alfred Charles, WRAL.com managing editor

DURHAM, N.C. — The man accused of driving a stolen car that crashed during a police pursuit last year, killing an off-duty Durham County detention officer accepted a plea deal on Tuesday and was ordered to prison for up to 25 years.

Tomaris Lamont Parker, 34, of Durham, was identified as the driver of the Honda Accord that slammed into a Chevrolet Impala and Hyundai Sonata at the intersection of Club Boulevard and N. Duke Street in August 2018. He pleaded guilty to the charges as part of a deal reached with prosecutors.

Brooke Lyn Maynard, 24, of Durham, was driving the Hyundai when her car was struck. She died at the scene, police have said.

Maynard's relatives were in court for the proceeding, but they did not speak to reporters.

"They're tore up," said Dale Morrill, an assistant district attorney. "They lost their daughter (and) we can never fix that. I can never fix that."

Parker's plea deal, which was accepted by the court, requiring him to serve between 20 and 25 years in state prison with credit for time already served. He has been incarcerated since the fatal accident last August, attorneys said during Tuesday's court hearing.

A co-defendant, Deshon Carrington, had been charged with felony possession of a stolen motor vehicle in connection with the incident but charges against him were dismissed, according to statements made during Tuesday's hearing.

Maynard was a detention officer who worked for the Durham County Sheriff's Office. Authorities have said Maynard had been employed with the Durham sheriff's office since November 2017 and was a recent graduate from the sheriff's training academy.

Law enforcement authorities charged Parker with second-degree murder, felony death by vehicle, failure to stop at a red light and eluding arrest in a motor vehicle causing a death.

The police chase began during the evening rush hour as Durham officers were trying to stop the Honda reported stolen at gunpoint from Alston Avenue earlier in the day.

Police pursued the Honda for at least 10 minutes before it crashed.

Parker spoke to WRAL News in the days after the fatal crash, saying he didn't fully remember the incident.

"I don't remember what happened," he said. "I don't remember nothing."

He offered apologies to Maynard's family.

"I just want to apologize for whatever wrongdoings I may have caused," he said. "I found out someone lost their life . . . and I didn't have no intentions of hurting anyone."

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