This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Salt Lake City man has been sentenced to a year in jail for driving drunk in September 2014 when he collided with a bicyclist who later died.
Peter Vance Wilcox, 38, was charged in 3rd District Court with third-degree felony automobile homicide in the death of 50-year-old Mitchell L. Bennett.
Wilcox pleaded guilty in March to the felony count, but prosecutors agreed to ask the judge to enter the conviction as a lesser class A misdemeanor, according to court documents.
On Monday, Judge Paul Parker went along with that recommendation and ordered Wilcox to spend a year in jail and a $2,500 fine, which is the maximum punishment for a class A misdemeanor.
The judge imposed no probation as part of the sentence. Restitution is be determined at a later hearing.
Wilcox, at about 11 p.m. on Sept. 25, 2014, was driving north on 900 West at 3160 South in South Salt Lake when he struck Bennett's bike with his 2001 Saturn, according to charging documents.
Bennett was thrown from his bike and suffered severe injuries to his spine, neck and head, according to police. He died five days later.
Bennett's cycling partner told police that he saw the Saturn drive away after the accident. Police soon after found the car abandoned north of the accident scene, and the cycling partner spotted Wilcox walking away from the car.
When Wilcox was confronted by police, he initially denied driving the Saturn, but then admitted he was.
In his plea agreement, Wilcox admits to driving with a blood-alcohol content of .020, which is more than double Utah's legal limit.