Macon Driver Sentenced to 15 Years for Fatal Motorcycle Crash While Under Influence of Methamphetamine

MACON, Ga. – A 34-year-old man has been sentenced to 15 years after pleading guilty to first-degree vehicular homicide in a crash that killed motorcyclist Michael Burnett on Riggins Mill Road.

Caleb Levi Hendrix, 34, pleaded guilty on Friday, August 14, 2026, to Vehicular Homicide in the First Degree. A related Driving Under the Influence charge was merged into the homicide count as part of the plea.

Hendrix was sentenced to 15 years, with the first 10 years to be served in prison, with credit for time already served. The judge also ordered mandatory substance abuse treatment as a special condition of his sentence.

The fatal crash occurred on July 30, 2023, as Hendrix was driving a pickup truck south on Riggins Mill Road and Burnett was traveling north on a motorcycle.

The vehicles collided, leaving Burnett with fatal injuries. Emergency personnel responded, but Burnett died at the scene.

Investigators Say Evidence Contradicted Driver’s Account

Shortly after the collision, Hendrix told investigators that he had been traveling from Dorothy Drive when he saw Burnett’s motorcycle approaching near the center line.

Hendrix claimed his brakes locked as he attempted to steer to the left, causing his pickup to enter the motorcycle’s lane.

Investigators, however, said physical evidence at the crash scene did not support that account.

A sergeant trained as a drug recognition expert observed signs that Hendrix was impaired, including droopy eyelids and an unusual blinking pattern in which his eyes did not fully close. Hendrix agreed to a voluntary blood draw.

Testing later detected methamphetamine and amphetamine in his system, according to prosecutors.

There were no known witnesses or camera footage capturing the collision. Heavy rain following the crash also washed away much of the potential roadway evidence.

When a traffic fatality investigator returned to examine the scene, no skid marks consistent with Hendrix’s description of his brakes locking were found. Prosecutors said the only skid marks identified at the scene came from a vehicle driven by Burnett’s father, who arrived after the crash had already occurred.

Investigators instead discovered a furrow along the roadway shoulder that they determined was consistent with Hendrix’s pickup briefly leaving the roadway before he steered back onto it.

According to investigators, Hendrix then crossed into Burnett’s lane and struck the motorcycle. Authorities found no evidence that Burnett contributed to the collision.

“This defendant got behind the wheel of a truck with methamphetamine and amphetamine in his system, crossed into oncoming traffic, and killed Michael Burnett,” Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney Anita Howard said.

Howard said the physical evidence did not support Hendrix’s explanation that locked brakes caused the collision.

“Now a family is without someone they love,” Howard said. “This crash shows exactly why driving under the influence of drugs is so dangerous.”