Man sentenced to more than 7 years for car crash in Eugene

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - Before being handed a prison sentence Wednesday, an Oregon Army veteran exchanged kind words with the woman he seriously injured in a car accident while under the influence of drugs.

Joseph Lee Umphrey, 32, was given more than 7 years in prison for crashing a stolen Toyota Prius into two cars, including one driven by 19-year-old nursing student Ashley Clark of Elmira.

Umphrey pleaded guilty to several charges, including assault and possession of methamphetamine.

Clark attended Umphrey’s sentencing hearing at Lane County Circuit Court, clutching his letter of apology and supporting herself with a crutch.

She tearfully thanked Umphrey for the letter he wrote after the crash sent her to a hospital’s intensive care unit for four days. Clark was left with a broken leg, collapsed lung, brain bleeding and other broken bones.

The veteran’s attorney, Larry Roloff, said the man’s legal and mental health problems began after he was discharged from the Army.

Umphrey told Clark he began “self-medicating” with narcotics after serving in Afghanistan, but said his psychological and drug issues are not an excuse for his behavior.

“I really hope you get the help you need,” said Clark.

The student said she arrived in court unsure of whether she should make a statement, but the apology letter handed to her by prosecutor Chris Parosa moved her to speak.

“I just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible,” said Clark. “But then I read the letter and thought it was really sincere, and I just wanted to tell (Umphrey) it was OK and that I hope he gets help.”

Umphrey was arrested after a woman called 911 to report that a man jumped into her Prius and drove away.

Officers were able to track the car’s location using the GPS unit on the woman’s cellphone, which she left in the vehicle.

When an officer tried to pull the Prius over, Umphrey drove through a yard, hit the two cars and then ran away from the scene.

___

Information from: The Register-Guard, https://www.registerguard.com