PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – A Hastings man was sentenced this week to 10 years in state prison for driving under the influence and killing a tow truck driver who was working along a Palatka roadway, prosecutors said.
Keith Douglas Guthrie entered a no contest plea last year to DUI causing death and was sentenced in Putnam County to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of probation. The court also permanently revoked his driver’s license.
The case stems from the early morning hours of February 8, 2023, when Guthrie struck and killed 45-year-old Nathan Morris II of Fernandina Beach on West River Road in Palatka. Morris was loading a vehicle onto a tow truck at the time of the crash.
Investigators said the tow truck’s emergency lights were activated as Morris worked. Guthrie failed to slow down or move over while passing the truck and struck both the tow truck and Morris with the front of his vehicle.
A toxicology report later showed Guthrie was under the influence of multiple substances at the time of the crash, including THC, amphetamine, and methamphetamine.
The investigation was conducted by the Florida Highway Patrol. The case was prosecuted by Managing Assistant State Attorney Mark Lewis.
The sentence was imposed by Judge Christian Miller, who presided over the case and pronounced judgment.
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