A Weber County woman who pleaded guilty to driving under the influence during a fatal rollover crash two years ago in Tooele County has been sentenced to jail time.
Ann Margaret Fearn, 50, of Hooper, was initially charged with second-degree felony automobile homicide in connection with the Aug. 26, 2015, death of her passenger, Gerald D. Bastian, 61, of West Haven.
She pleaded guilty in June 2016 to a reduced third-degree felony count of automobile homicide.
As part of a plea negotiation, the conviction was further reduced to a class A misdemeanor at sentencing. But according to statute, any new DUI charge will be prosecuted as a third-degree felony.
On Tuesday, 3rd District Judge Robert Adkins sentenced Fearn to a year in jail.
The crash occurred just before 7 a.m. on Aug. 26, 2015, when Fearn rolled her car on eastbound Interstate 80 about 15 miles west of Grantsville.
Bastian, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was thrown from the vehicle and suffered fatal injuries, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.
Fearn, who was restrained, suffered critical injuries to her body and head and was flown to a hospital.
Sentencing in the case had been delayed several times so Fearn could complete medical treatment procedures, according to court records.
Prosecutors clarified Tuesday that Fearn had methamphetamine and two prescription drugs in her system at the time of the crash. A previous story in The Tribune erroneously said Fearn was under the influence of alcohol.
In plea documents, Fearn admitted the drugs “rendered her incapable of safely operating a vehicle.”
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