38-Year-Old Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Aggravated DUI

Rankin County—Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced that Marcal Joshua Collins has been sentenced to serve twenty-five (25) years in the state penitentiary following his guilty plea to two counts of Aggravated DUI in which one victim died and another sustained injuries. 

On the night of August 21, 2023, the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol and other local law enforcement agencies responded to a wreck on I-20 near the Crossgates exit in Brandon. Officers discovered that a Dodge Ram driven by Collins had collided with a Honda Accord driven by Ty O’Neal and carrying his mother, Hattie Lorene O’Neal. Tragically, Ms. O’Neal passed away due to injuries sustained in the wreck. Officers determined that Collins had been driving the wrong way on the interstate and caused the violent head-on collision. Due to a strong odor of alcohol, officers immediately suspected Collins of DUI. Collins admitted to having had several vodka drinks, and officers recovered two vodka bottles from his truck. Collins’s blood alcohol content was .191. 

“Lives taken. Lives destroyed. Driving under the influence is pure selfishness; it’s criminal, and it kills,” stated District Attorney Bramlett District. “Our thoughts and prayers continue for the O’Neal family.” 

Name: Marcal Joshua Collins 

Date of Birth: 11/24/1986