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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News AP Entertainment Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Holiday Guide Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend December 16, 2006 Man gets 2 years for crash that killed cyclist By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune A Mexican man whose car struck and killed a White City cyclist in a September collision will serve two years in prison before being deported. Fernando Sanchez-Llamas, 22, of the 600 block of Medford's Palm Street, pleaded guilty Friday in Jackson County Circuit Court to criminally negligent homicide in connection with the Sept. 6 death of 53-year-old Fred Wyatt. A manslaughter charge was dropped because prosecutors couldn't prove Sanchez was intoxicated at the time of the 7 p.m. collision, said Tim Barnack, deputy district attorney for Jackson County. Sanchez's white Mercury sedan swerved off Crater Lake Highway on Sept. 5 and struck the curb before hitting Wyatt, who was riding in the highway's bicycle lane. Living in the country illegally, Sanchez drove nearly half a mile, despite flat tires and a smashed windshield, police said. He stopped at the intersection of Crater Lake Highway and Vilas Road and fled on foot with his passenger, another Hispanic man. "His fear got the best of him," said Sanchez's defense attorney Lisa Greif. A passing motorist flagged down an Oregon State Police trooper on the highway and reported the crash, officials said. A Medford police dog tracked the men about a half mile and found them hiding in some bushes near Vilas Road and Peace Lane. Advertisement Wyatt was taken to Providence Medford Medical Center, where he died early the next morning. The Bend resident had been living at the Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics (SORCC) in White City since November 2005 and underwent treatment there for alcoholism and health problems, said his wife, 43-year-old Karen Wyatt, also of Bend. Sanchez's blood-alcohol level was likely .05 at the time of the collision, Barnack said. Oregon's limit at which drivers are presumed intoxicated is .08. There was no indication Sanchez was driving recklessly, Barnack added. "We could never figure out why he drifted," the prosecutor said. Wyatt had no harsh words for Sanchez, who apologized via an interpreter for the crime. She instead told the court how she and her husband had hoped to start a new life together when he left SORCC. "He was my strength, my courage, my hope, my dreams for the future," she said. Sanchez, who had no prior criminal record, has been in the United States for five years and worked in reforestation. Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Men's Clothing Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Discount Hotel Reservations Send Flowers Casinos Canada Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com