This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Murray man who hit and killed a construction worker two years ago while driving on Interstate 215 has been sentenced to prison for up to five years.
Michael Todd Brinkman, 51, had pleaded guilty in 3rd District Court to a reduced charge of third-degree felony manslaughter and third-degree felony charge of obstructing justice.
Judge Randall Skanchy on Monday ordered the convictions to run concurrently. The judge also ordered Brinkman to pay the victim's family $17,000 in restitution.
On Oct. 25, 2009, Brinkman hit 20-year-old Brayden Beddoes in a construction zone near 3500 South and then drove away, court documents state.
Beddoes died a short time later in a hospital.
Police found Brinkman the following day in Roosevelt.
Police found a bag with cocaine residue in Brinkman's car and cocaine metabolite in his blood, but prosecutor Sandi Johnson said she "cannot prove specifically when the cocaine was ingested."
Brinkman was facing felony counts of operating a vehicle negligently and possession of a controlled substance, as well as two misdemeanor charges. Those charges were dropped in May when Brinkman pleaded guilty to the other charges.