The driver in a single car crash that killed a Sullivan teenager in 2023 pleaded guilty to manslaughter and will serve 18 months in prison, the Ellsworth American reported.
The crash happened on the afternoon of Dec. 10, 2023. State police were called to Unionville Road at about 1:30 p.m.
According to police, Chase Atwater of Steuben, then 18, was driving a 2013 Chevy Malibu south on Unionville Road when he came over a hill and the car went airborne. The car hit a large tree on the passenger side.
The passenger, Cole Merchant, 17, of Sullivan, was pronounced dead at the scene. Atwater suffered minor injuries, according to police.
Police said the car had reached a speed of 101 mph before it crashed but there was no evidence of drug or alcohol use, according to reporting by the American.
At a court appearance on Thursday, Atwater pleaded guilty to manslaughter along with charges of driving to endanger and reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, according to the newspaper. He was sentenced to 10 years with all but 18 months suspended, to be followed by four years of probation.
