ALFRED — A Massachusetts woman was sentenced Thursday in York County Superior Court to serve three years in prison for a drunken-driving crash that killed a passenger in her vehicle in Old Orchard Beach in 2010.
Debra Gentile, 46, of Bellingham, Mass., had a blood-alcohol level that was twice the legal limit to drive and had cocaine and benzodiazepines in her system when she crashed the Chevrolet SUV she was driving on Dec. 12, 2010. Her vehicle left the roadway off Temple Avenue in Old Orchard Beach and crashed into a fence, firewood and trees, according to the York County District Attorney’s Office.
The force of the crash left her passenger, Michael Daigle, 50, of Old Orchard Beach, trapped inside the vehicle. He died shortly afterward from blunt force trauma injuries he sustained in the crash, the DA’s office said.
Gentile pleaded guilty on March 20 to charges of manslaughter and aggravated criminal operation of a motor vehicle under the influence.
She was sentenced Thursday by Justice Paul Fritzsche to an eight-year prison sentence with all but three years suspended, followed by four years of probation. The judge also ordered Gentile to pay a $2,100 fine and took away her driver’s license for 10 years.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.