A man who was found to have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) percentage of more than .15 percent after a fatal accident has received his sentence. He will serve three years in prison that will be followed by three years on formal probation.
The man pleaded guilty to causing a death while driving with a (BAC) of .08 or above. Other charges were dropped in exchange for his guilty plea. For the charge he pleaded guilty to, he faced a maximum of six years. Even though he received an incarceration period and probation, his sentence did meet the maximum allowed for this Level 5 felony charge.
This case is in response to a 2016 accident that left a 29-year-old woman dead at the scene. The man sped up while trying to pass other vehicles and he slammed into the woman while she was executing a turn. While he was passing vehicles, he passed a marked law enforcement vehicle.
The man was taken to the Clay County jail after his sentencing hearing.
The fact that this man was able to work out a plea deal here makes an important point — you should explore all options that you have for your defense before making a decision on what to do. You never know what option might work out in your favor. Some plea deals can help you to get charges dropped so that you aren’t facing as much time in prison as what you would have faced otherwise. This is often a good thing to look into if you think that a conviction is imminent.
Source: Tribune Star, “3 years prison, 3 years probation for fatal DUI crash,” May 31, 2017