TAMPA, Fla. — The driver accused of drunkenly hitting and killing a jogger back in January on Bayshore Boulevard pleaded guilty Tuesday to DUI manslaughter.
Benjamin Ehas was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison and then nearly three years on probation. He also has to pay a $1,000 fine, has to go to DUI school, have his driver's license suspended for life, do 120 hours of community service and do evaluations for drugs and alcohol and mental health.
Ehas had been charged with vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter. The vehicular homicide count was dismissed per the plea agreement, according to the court.
Prosecutors say his blood-alcohol content level was checked shortly after the deadly crash. At that time, investigators say it was .234 -- nearly three times the legal limit of .08.
Ehas was driving 60-70 mph in his Pinch A Penny truck while "weaving in and out of traffic" in a 35-mph zone, according to law enforcement. Authorities say he crashed into the jogger, sending the man into Hillsborough Bay.
An arrest report said Ehas admitted to buying and drinking a double shot of Fireball Whisky before the crash and also "admitted to smoking marijuana."
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