MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) - A Medford, Oregon, man has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading no contest to charges stemming from a crash that killed a pedestrian.
Matthew Harris conceded that if the case had gone to trial, prosecutors could have proven he was driving while intoxicated when he struck and killed 43-year-old Sterling Cavanaugh in September 2015.
The Mail Tribune reports (https://is.gd/mHbg4M ) the victim had been walking home from a Central Point to avoid driving drunk.
Court documents show Harris received the relatively light sentence after his attorneys were able to get some evidence in the case suppressed. Moreover, the victim was in the roadway dressed in dark clothing when Harris hit him, raising the question of whether a sober driver could have avoided the collision.
Besides the prison time, the 36-year-old Harris received a lifetime driving ban.
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Information from: Mail Tribune, https://www.mailtribune.com/
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