Columbia Man Faces 10-Year Prison Sentence For Manslaughter

COLUMBIA, MD — John Anthony Bryant, Jr., 26, of Columbia has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for auto manslaughter. He also received a 1-year suspended sentence for possession of a controlled dangerous substance. Bryant's sentence will be served at the division of correction. Bryant pleaded guilty to both charges Feb. 12.

According to the Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office, on March 13, 2020, at 8:55 a.m., Bryant was driving erratically down Route 32 approaching Route 108 when he tried to maneuver his vehicle around a slower car and struck the left rear corner of a vehicle driven by Jonathan Bos. The collision caused Bos’s vehicle to leave the road and flip multiple times before coming to a final rest against a road sign support post. Bos was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma immediately following the collision where he died six days later.

Howard County Police recovered two vials that Bryant threw out of his vehicle immediately following the crash, the state's attorney's office disclosed. A forensic scientist with Maryland State Police tested the evidence and determined that one of the vials contained a trace amount of cocaine. Police also conducted standard field sobriety tests.

Once Bryant was arrested, they conducted a search and found a glass smoking device with brownish residue in Bryant’s front pants pocket. While at the hospital to receive medical care, Bryant’s blood was tested and found positive for alprazolam and benzoylecgonine, which is a cocaine metabolite, the state's attorney's office shared.

Howard County Police obtained a warrant for the airbag module in Bryant’s vehicle. They discovered Bryant was not wearing a seatbelt and accelerated his speed from 104 mph to 107 mph just prior to the collision. There was also no indication of braking prior to impact. The posted speed limit in that area is 55 mph, the state's attorney's office noted.

Upon his release, Bryant will serve five years supervised probation, participate in drug and alcohol evaluation, testing and treatment, random urinalysis, the MADD victim impact panel and abstain from drugs and alcohol.