MAN RECEIVES 22-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE FOR ALCOHOL-RELATED FATALITY

A Pennsylvania man received a 22-year prison sentence for driving drunk and causing a Cherokee County wreck that claimed the life of a local woman and critically injured her husband.

John T. Botchie, 31, pleaded guilty to felony driving under the influence with death and great bodily injury on Friday. He will serve 85 percent of the sentence before he is eligible for release.

Frances Dickens, 66, died in the April 10, 2007 wreck at the intersection of Old Metal and Macedonia roads. Dickens' husband, Vernon P. Dickens, 72, was critically injured in the wreck. He was hospitalized 11 weeks and he lost his left eye.

Principal Deputy Solicitor Barry Barnette said Botchie ran a stop sign while speeding and t-boned the side of the Dickens' truck. Botchie's blood alcohol level registered .323, four times the legal inference for driving under the influence. Botchie's criminal record includes a prior out-of-state DUI conviction for a wreck that injured three people.

Vernon Dickens and his daughter, Sabrina Mason, spoke in court during the plea.

They poignantly described how the crime impacted their lives.