LIVINGSTON PARISH, LA (WAFB) -
A Walker, LA man has been sentenced to 10 years after pleading guilty to vehicular homicide.
On April 22, 2012, the victim Dean Albares of Hammond, LA and his girlfriend Lori Histand, were on their way to visit family in Livingston Parish to tell them the news that Lori was pregnant.
Police say 32-year-old Manuel Garcia-Gallegos was trying to pass the couple at a high rate of speed and misjudged the distance, hitting the vehicle from the rear and running it off the road.
Police say Dean Albares died instantly and Lori sustained only minor injuries.
Garcia-Gallegos' blood-alcohol level registered at 0.2, which is 2.5 times the legal limit, at the time of the crash. Police say he had a prior conviction in 2009 for DWI, but was not on probation at the time of his 2012 arrest.
Before the sentencing, Lori Histand was holding her one month old baby during her victim's impact statement. In her statement, she said she told Dean Albares that he was going to be a father about one hour before he died.
She also said she wants people to be more aware of the way driving while intoxicated affects others, and hopes to be an advocate to raise awareness and help prevent this kind of tragedy from happening again.
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Manuel Garcia-Gallegos (Source: LPSO)
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