CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (AP) - A West Virginia man has been sentenced to up to 20 years for a police chase and vehicle crash that resulted in the premature birth and death of his baby.
Chazz Lucas, 33, of Shinnston, was sentenced Tuesday in Harrison County Circuit Court, news outlets reported.
Lucas admitted being under the influence of methamphetamine during the September 2018 incident, which started when a Harrison County sheriff’s deputy attempted to pull over his vehicle for not having a state inspection sticker.
Harrison Assistant Prosecutor Andrea Roberts said Lucas fled with his pregnant girlfriend in the car, driving along several roads and later crashing into a parked police cruiser. His girlfriend was taken to a hospital where the baby was born through emergency delivery and died of multiple blunt-force injuries, Roberts said.
Lucas was sentenced to up to five years on a charge of fleeing with reckless indifference and up to 15 years for fleeing from an officer causing death. The sentences will be served consecutively and at a facility where Lucas can receive treatment for drug addiction.
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