Miss. man gets 25 years for DUI wreck that killed passenger

PICAYUNE, Miss. (AP) - A Carriere man has been sentenced to the maximum 25 years in prison for killing his passenger by driving drunk.

District Attorney Hal Kitrell said in a news release that the judge who sentenced 52-year-old Walter Dewayne Sanford noted it was his fifth DUI conviction.

The Picayune Item reports (https://bit.ly/2kDLAW6 ) a jury convicted Sanford last month of causing the death of 50-year-old Teresa Spiers by driving under the influence. Authorities said Sanford crashed into another vehicle on Interstate 59 in November 2014, causing both cars to flip repeatedly.

Blood tests showed Sanford’s blood alcohol level was .231 at the time of the crash - almost three times state’s legal limit of .08 percent.

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Information from: Picayune Item, https://www.picayuneitem.com