Welcome to another episode of “Why We Can’t Have Nice Things in the Hub City.” This week, 32-year-old Anthony Washington finally pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter for a 2024 crash that ended the lives of 20-year-old Blake Garza and 18-year-old Naomi Harry. Washington walked away with a 40-year sentence, which sounds impressive until you realize the judge let them run concurrently. In Lubbock legal terms, that’s basically a “buy one, get one free” sale on human lives.
The details of the crash are a classic West Texas cocktail of negligence and stupidity. Back in March 2024, Washington decided to navigate the intersection of Spur 327 and Milwaukee Avenue—which is already a chaotic death trap on a sober day—while his passenger seat was reportedly cluttered with empty beer bottles. Nothing says “responsible citizen” quite like turning your SUV into a mobile recycling bin before T-boning a couple of kids who were just trying to get home.
When the police arrived, they noted Washington had the “Lubbock Stare”—glassy, bloodshot eyes and breath that smelled like a dive bar floor at 2:00 AM. Meanwhile, in a move that surprises absolutely no one who watches local TV, one of our news stations originally reported the victims were on a motorcycle. They weren’t; they were in a car. But hey, in a town where people regularly confuse a red light for a “go faster” sign, we can’t really expect the media to distinguish between two wheels and four, can we?
So, Washington gets a four-decade stay at the state’s expense, and two families are left with GoFundMe pages and empty chairs at the dinner table. It’s just another Tuesday in a city that treats traffic laws like optional side quests in a video game.
Does anyone else find it comforting that the only thing more reliable than a dust storm in this town is a drunk driver with a passenger seat full of evidence?
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