A Lake Orion was handed a lengthy prison sentence Tuesday for a fatal hit-and-run last year in Auburn Hills.
At a hearing in Oakland County Circuit Court, Judge Yasmine Poles sentenced 35-year-old Kenneth Briddnell Carroll to 25-60 years for the June 6, 2024 crash that killed Thomas Jerome Fisher, 68. The collision happened on Walton Boulevard near Perry Street in Auburn Hills, and also caused critical injuries to Carroll’s passenger.
According to police, Carroll fled after crashing a Kia Forte into a Ford F-150 pickup truck, trapping Fisher in the Ford F-150. Fisher was subsequently extricated and transported to an area hospital where he died, police said.
Moments before the crash, an Auburn Hills patrol officer had pursued the Kia after witnessing it speeding south on Lapeer Road and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver — later identified as Carroll — accelerated and fled, reportedly reaching speeds up to 88 mph. The officer reportedly chased the Kia for approximately a quarter mile before ending the pursuit. Further down the roadway, the officer discovered the collision, police said.
Carroll was arrested after a citizen reported seeing him in a wooded area approximately a half-mile from the crash site, police said. When he was arrested, Carroll was in possession of a controlled substance, police said.
In January, Carroll pleaded no contest to reckless driving causing death, reckless driving causing serious impairment of bodily function, fleeing and eluding, failing to stop after the crash, driving without a valid license and narcotics possession. For the drug charge, he was sentenced to the 284 days he already served in the Oakland County Jail. The jail credit was also applied to his sentence on the other charges.
A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing purposes. It can also offer some liability protection in civil cases.
Carroll got an enhanced sentence due to him being a habitual offender. His criminal history includes convictions for aggravated domestic violence and probation violation.
Fisher’s obituary states he was the father of two, an accomplished musician and “a successful and premier interior painter” with his own business. He grew up in Birmingham.
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