Man sentenced for crash that killed retired officer

BARTOW, Fla. (AP) - A man has been sentenced in a fatal crash that killed a retired police officer in 2016.

The Ledger of Lakeland reports 55-year-old Albino Contreras was sentenced to over seven years in prison Thursday. Contreras faced a five-year sentence for driving without a license, but Circuit Judge Neil Roddenbery chose to follow state sentencing guidelines.

Polk County Sheriff’s Office reports show that Contreras was driving without a license when his vehicle crossed the center line and struck David Szewczykowski’s motorcycle. Authorities say the impact threw 68-year-old Szewczykowski into a drainage ditch.

Contreras, a native Honduran, wasn’t injured and told police he’d never had a license in the U.S. or Honduras.

The newspaper reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have lodged a detainer on Contreras, coupled with a warrant.

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Information from: The Ledger (Lakeland, Fla.), https://www.theledger.com