LEONARDTOWN, MD (September 8, 2026) – State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling announced today that Kendall Deshong Young, 34, of Avenue, Maryland, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with eight years of active incarceration, for the vehicular manslaughter of a St. Mary’s County man. Young was additionally ordered to five years of supervised probation and complete a victim impact panel, a driver improvement course, and 200 hours of community service.
On March 19, 2025, troopers with the Maryland State Police responded to Point Lookout Road and St. Andrews Church Road in Leonardtown for a serious two-vehicle collision. The victim was standing outside his vehicle on the shoulder with his hazard lights activated when Young drove onto the shoulder, struck the man and the rear of his vehicle, and killed him.
At the time of the crash, Young was using his cell phone while driving. A witness who was traveling in front of Young reported observing Young using his phone and driving erratically continuously for approximately five miles leading up to the fatal collision.
“I am grateful to the citizens who stopped to render aid and provided crucial evidence to the police. A phone behind the wheel can become a weapon in an instant. Like drunk driving, distracted driving is a dangerous choice, and when that choice takes a life, the law should recognize the gravity of that harm,” said State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling. “Vehicular manslaughter should be a crime of violence. Families who lose a loved one deserve a law that recognizes the seriousness of their loss, and I will continue to fight for victims, their families, and our community to right that wrong.”
Under Maryland law, vehicular manslaughter is punishable by up to ten years’ imprisonment and is not classified as a crime of violence. This classification impacts the amount of time an individual may serve upon conviction and sentencing before becoming eligible for parole.
Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Carolynn Grammas prosecuted the case on behalf of the citizens of St. Mary’s County.
Trooper First Class Hunter Gardner of the Maryland State Police CRASH Team was the lead investigator.
The Honorable Kevin Hill presided over the case.
