WALTON COUNTY, Fla. — A Walton County man has been sentenced to 14 years in state prison after pleading to a DUI manslaughter charge stemming from a 2023 head-on collision that killed another driver.
Walton County Circuit Judge J. Ryan Love sentenced Justin Echternacht on August 18, 2026, to 14 years in state prison followed by one year of state probation.
According to the State Attorney’s Office for the First Judicial Circuit, the crash happened around 5:30 a.m. September 28, 2023, on Highway 90 in Walton County.
Authorities said Echternacht was driving a truck when he crossed the center line and struck an oncoming pickup truck head-on, killing the driver.
As part of the investigation, Echternacht tested positive for cocaine and tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly known as THC, according to the State Attorney’s Office. His blood alcohol level was measured at .104 more than two hours after the crash.
The Florida Highway Patrol investigated the crash and arrest, with assistance from the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant State Attorney Angela Liles prosecuted the case on behalf of State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden.
Madden announced Echternacht’s sentence August 18, saying the case had resulted in a 14-year prison sentence followed by probation.
The sentence brings the criminal case stemming from the September 2023 fatal crash to a conclusion.
