Court refuses to reinstate DUI conviction in Hinds County crash

JACKSON — The Mississippi Court of Appeals on Monday refused to reinstate a drunk driving conviction it threw out earlier this year against Beth Ann White, whose impaired driving killed a mother and her infant in 2021.

White was convicted in Hinds County Circuit Court in 2024 on five counts stemming from a Nov. 1, 2021, crash that killed Allison Conaway and her six-month-old son, Alex, and critically injured Conaway’s two daughters.

The appeals court earlier upheld four of those convictions but threw out a fifth count, a repeat-offender DUI charge, ruling prosecutors added it too late under the state’s two-year statute of limitations. Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office asked the court to reconsider, arguing White’s arrest on the day of the crash started the clock on the entire prosecution; the court declined without explanation.

White remains convicted on four aggravated DUI counts. The case was tried before Hinds County Circuit Judge Winston Kidd. Repeat-offender DUI charges typically carry enhanced penalties, which is why the court’s decision to toss that count affects potential sentencing exposure.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more details emerge.