A Maysville man has been sentenced to five years in prison for his part in a December 2020 accident that resulted in catastrophic injuries to a family member.

Information at the time from Sheriff Patrick Boggs indicated the accident took place on Dec. 18, 2020, on Kentucky 10 and Old Germantown Road in the area of Tuckahoe Road. The three-vehicle accident involved two moving vehicles and a parked car, he said.

A passenger, identified in the indictment as Gary Muse, died later from injuries he received in the accident, Boggs said.

According to an indictment handed down by a Mason County grand jury in April 2021, Robert Allen Muse III, 54, “engaged in conduct which created a grave risk of death to Gary Muse by means of a dangerous instrument, and the force that the defendant used was unlawful.”

Robert Allen Muse III was originally charged with first-degree assault, three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, two counts of first-degree criminal mischief, and one count of DUI first offense.

In addition to Gary Muse, the indictment also charged that Robert Allen Muse III committed the first-degree wanton endangerment when “under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life, he wantonly engaged in conduct which created a substantial danger of death or serious physical injury to Beth Calvert…,” and Shelby Meritt.

The criminal mischief charges stemmed from damage to property belonging to Jason Hunt and Meritt.

After initially pleading not guilty to the charges, Robert Allen Muse III entered a guilty plea to amended charges during an appearance in Mason Circuit Court before Judge Stockton Wood on Jan. 27. The first-degree assault charge was amended to second-degree under a plea agreement, according to court documents.

On March 24, Robert Allen Muse III again appeared before Wood with his attorney Richard Reid for sentencing. Wood sentenced the defendant to five years on each of six counts and to 30 days on the DUI charge, with the sentences to be served concurrently for a total of five years, with credit for time served to be determined. He was also ordered to pay $165 in court costs, $1,000 in fines and $425 in DUI service fees.

Robert Allen Muse was lodged in the Mason County Detention Center following the sentencing on March 24 where he remains. He is scheduled to be back in court on Friday, April 22 for a shock probation hearing.