A Massachusetts man has been sentenced to serve a year in prison for a drunken driving crash in Naples last year that killed his passenger.
Richard Griffin, 52, of Topsfield, Mass., pleaded guilty in Cumberland County Unified Criminal Court on Tuesday to charges of manslaughter and operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol resulting in death.
Griffin was driving a 2003 Chevrolet Blazer on Thompson Point Road on July 6, 2012, when the vehicle went off the road and crashed into a large pine tree. His passenger, 22-year-old William Schneider, was killed, and Griffin suffered what police described at the time as life-threatening injuries. A woman out walking her dog a woman out walking her dog came across the single-vehicle crash.
Police said that Griffin was speeding and had been drinking alcohol before the crash.
Justice Roland Cole gave Griffin a six-year sentence, with all but one year suspended. The judge ordered him to serve a four-year probation term after completing his prison sentence.
Griffin is scheduled to report on Jan. 2 to begin serving his sentence.
Scott Dolan can be reached at 791-6304 or at:
sdolan@pressherald.com
Twitter: @scottddolan
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