By Sarah Stephens
Elmore Autauga News
Editor’s Note: Details of this arrest from Millbrook Chief Johnson are included at the bottom of the article.
A Millbrook woman who pled guilty to Manslaughter relating to an Elmore County 2020 DUI fatality accident where she was the driver, could have her suspended sentence revoked after another DUI arrest over the weekend by Millbrook Police. See details of this latest arrest and charges in press release below from Chief P.K. Johnson
On April 5, 2020, the EA News first reported an early morning accident that left one dead, and Alexis Danielle Wright, then 22, being jailed on suspicion of DUI in Elmore County.
That morning around 4:40 a.m., a single-vehicle accident was reported on Dozier Road. Responding agencies included Elmore County deputies, first responders, Redland Fire Department and Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
ALEA reported that the crash claimed the life of Kevin Mara, 31, of McMinnville, OR. He was killed when the 2015 Chevrolet Sonic in which he was a passenger left the roadway and struck a fence. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Alexis Danielle Wright, then of Wetumpka, was charged with DUI initially, but later pled guilty to Manslaughter regarding Mara’s death. Wright was not reported as injured in the accident.
In Kevin Mara’s obituary, his family asked for any donations to be made in Kevin’s name to be sent Mothers Against Drunk Driving. (See full obituary below.)
According to court records filed today by Assistant District Attorney Mandy Johnson Wright was sentenced on Aug. 1, 2022 to 60 months in the Department of Corrections. The sentence was split to serve 20 months. At the conclusion of the 20 months, Wright was released from custody and placed on probation last year. This weekend, Wright was arrested by the Millbrook Police Department for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, Attempting to Elude and Reckless Endangerment.
Because Wright was arrested for a new offense, specifically one that involved driving under the influence of alcohol, the 19th Judicial District Attorney’s office is asking for her split sentence to be revoked and she serves the remainder of her 60-month sentence, or the remaining 40 months.
Official Press Release from Millbrook Police Chief P.K. Johnson:
On Saturday, February 22, 2025, Millbrook police received a complaint with regard to a white SUV travelling at a high rate of speed on Highway 143. The complainant stated that the vehicle had caused him to run off the roadway, continuing to update 911 operators with regard to the vehicle’s location. A Millbrook police unit made contact with the vehicle on Chapman Road, near Magnolia Estates, at which time the SUV was travelling with its headlights off. The police officer activated his emergency equipment in an attempt to stop the vehicle. The SUV activated its headlights, but refused to stop, continuing to a residence in the 400 block of Magnolia Loop prior to coming to a stop.
Officers made contact with the vehicle’s driver, who refused to exit the vehicle despite being instructed to do so numerous times. Officers removed the driver from the vehicle using minimal force, at which time officers detected an odor of alcoholic beverage about the driver’s breath and person. The driver, later identified as Alexis D. Wright, a 26-year-old Millbrook resident, was asked to complete a series of field sobriety tests, to which she initially complied and attempted to complete. During the tests being administered, Wright declined, refusing to comply with the officer’s instructions or complete any further testing. Based on the officer’s observations, it was determined that Wright was unable to safely operate a motor vehicle, at which point she was placed under arrest, being charged with Attempting to Elude, Driving Under the Influence and Reckless Endangerment.
Wright was transported to the Millbrook Police Department for processing and later transported to the Elmore County Jail, where she remains under a $3,000.00 bond.
Fortunately, our officers that responded to this call were able to make contact with this alleged offender and she did not cause harm to herself or anyone else prior to that. The original complainant stated to 911 operators that the driver of the SUV was travelling at excessive speeds and that he had to leave the roadway to avoid colliding with her vehicle. According to the arresting officer’s report, the alleged offender was travelling without utilizing her headlights when he first encountered the suspect vehicle, failing to yield when he attempted to stop the vehicle. Rather than stop, the alleged offender chose to continue driving until she reached her place of residence, where she refused to exit the vehicle or comply with the officer’s lawful commands, hence the Attempting to Elude Charge.
I can’t tell you how many times that I’ve observed this behavior over a 36-year career, where a person being stopped by law enforcement continues driving in an attempt to make it to their home or other destination. Apparently, their thought process, more probably the inability to correctly process their thoughts, that they will avoid arrest if they make it to their desired destination. That’s not how it works! Things don’t get better when you refuse to stop for law enforcement, in fact, typically they only get worse. Too many things can happen when people choose to flee from law enforcement, hence our state law makers have increased the penalties for those who make that unwise decision, yet it continues to happen all to frequently.
Unfortunately, the alleged offender in this case has a previous history of driving under the influence and in fact was on probation, having been previously convicted of Manslaughter as a result of a traffic collision, which resulted in a passenger’s death. Both the Elmore County District Attorney’s Office and probation officials have been made aware of the alleged offender’s arrest and are reviewing the case.
