A Fort Hood soldier who deserted his unit after a deadly drunk driving accident that killed two people has been dishonorably discharged and sentenced to two years in prison.

34-year-old Sgt. Isaac Haywood pleaded guilty to charges of negligent homicide, driving while intoxicated, and desertion Tuesday. His sentence, which included a demotion to the rank of private, was part of a plea bargain.

Haywood told judge Lt. Col. Rebecca Connally that he and his father had been drinking for several hours before he got behind the wheel of a truck in the early morning hours of February 20, 2005. His father, Barry Haywood, and a female passenger, Maggie Hernandez, were ejected from the truck after the younger Haywood struck a commercial vehicle on I-35. The two passengers died at the scene.

Haywood, a married father of four, told the judge that he deserted his unit at Fort Hood four months after the accident to live with family in Natalia. He was arrested by U.S. Marshals on September 10, 2014 and brought back to Fort Hood to face justice.

Haywood’s defense attorneys had at first asked that he be given a “bad conduct” discharge and receive no prison time. The judge initially sentenced Haywood to 33 months in prison, but the plea bargain capped the sentence.

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