Amanda Vanburskirk, a woman from Jacksonville, North Carolina, was sentenced to just 15 days in jail after a crash that 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed 21-year-old detention officer Tyler Johnson in February 2024. She will also serve two years of supervised probation.

Johnson had recently started working at the Onslow County Detention Center when his life was cut short in a head-on collision along Comfort Road. Authorities said Vanburskirk’s car crossed the center line and hit Johnson’s vehicle, according to WLBT.

Vanburskirk pleaded no contest to misdemeanor death by motor vehicle. This means she did not admit guilt but accepted the court’s punishment. Along with her short jail term and probation, she must complete community service, undergo a substance abuse assessment, take drug tests, and avoid contact with Johnson’s family. Her driver’s license was also suspended for one year.

Prosecutors said troopers at the scene did not believe Vanburskirk was impaired. However, later blood tests showed methamphetamine in her system. Assistant District Attorney Chris Dunnagan explained that meth can stay in the body for days, so a positive test does not automatically prove she was impaired while driving.

Johnson’s sisters, Jadyn Jackson and Ciera Macri, expressed frustration with the sentence. They felt the investigation was incomplete and that the sentence did not reflect the seriousness of his death.

“Today, I feel like we did not get justice. I’m hoping that maybe that she’ll mess up on her probation, and maybe we’ll see more justice on the back-end of this. But 15 days after taking a life … It’s just not enough,” Macri said.