Larry Dewayne Surrett's booking photo from May 2017 (Cullman County Sheriff's Office)
CULLMAN – Days ahead of a jury trial scheduled to begin this week, Larry Dewayne Surrett entered a plea of guilty to the charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving injury or death in the Mother's Day 2017 death of Good Hope resident Helen Virginia Duke, 75.
According to the initial report from Alabama State Troopers, Duke was struck on Schwaiger Road in Good Hope on May 14, 2017 by an unknown vehicle which fled the scene. After Duke’s body was discovered in a ditch near her mailbox, along with evidence of the vehicle, authorities searched for a Ford vehicle with a broken passenger side rear view mirror. Surrett was picked up on May 31, 2017.
A grand jury indicted Surrett on three charges:
- Leaving the scene of an accident involving injury or death. Alabama Code 32-10-1 reads “The driver of any motor vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or the death of any person, or in damage to a motor vehicle or other vehicle which is driven or attended by any person, shall immediately stop such vehicle at the scene of such accident or as close thereto as possible and shall then forthwith return to and in every event shall remain at the scene of the accident until he or she has fulfilled the requirements of Section 32-10-3. Every such stop shall be made without obstructing traffic more than is necessary.”
- Driving with a revoked driver’s license.
- Tampering with evidence. The state charged that Surrett replaced the grill, headlight, passenger side fender and passenger side mirror of his 1999 Ford Expedition in order to hinder the investigation.
Surrett’s plea was only to the first charge of leaving the scene of an accident, which is a Class C felony. The other charges are both misdemeanors and could possibly be dismissed if the plea is accepted, but not necessarily so.
According to a source at the Cullman County Courthouse, Surrett entered what is known as a blind plea: he pled guilty without negotiating any sort of deal with the State. Judges are not required to be lenient in such cases.
A Class C felony can carry a prison sentence from one year and one day up to 10 years, and can be affected by various issues including circumstances of the crime and previous criminal history. Courts can also impose restitution.
Surrett’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 21, 2019.
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