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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 11, 2006 Driver sentenced to 8 years in jail By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune A Central Point man was sentenced to more than eight years in prison for a car crash that injured four friends, one of whom remains brain-damaged. William Frederick Miller, 21, was ordered Friday to serve eight years and four months in prison. He was found guilty Tuesday of felony assault and reckless driving in connection with the Sept. 26 collision on Blackwell Road that injured his four passengers. One of the back-seat passengers, 17-year-old Monica Marie Johnson, remains in a wheelchair. Lacking the motor skills to walk or talk, Johnson is basically bedridden, her family said. "Miss Johnson has a life sentence," Circuit Court Judge Ray White told Miller. White on Tuesday found that Miller showed "extreme indifference to the value of human life" when, speeding toward Central Point after a party, he smashed an acquaintance's Honda Accord into a loaded semi-truck. The collision happened at about 11:20 p.m. between Kirtland Road and Blackwell Road's interchange with Interstate 5. Advertisement "I don’t think I’ve ever seen a case where the engine was thrown out of a car such a distance," White said, commenting on Miller’s extreme speed. The crash also hurled Johnson, 18-year-old Sarah Jean Walker and 14-year-old Jordan Walker, all of Eagle Point, out of the car. None were wearing seat belts. The Accord’s owner, 32-year-old Todd Andrew Cook of Medford, also was seriously injured. Miller said he drove the car because Cook was too drunk. Miller admitted to smoking marijuana and drinking beer at a party several hours before the wreck. Miller apologized before hearing his sentence. White sentenced Miller to more time than the mandatory sentence of five years and 10 months based on the multiple victims involved. The crash did not injure the truck’s driver, 38-year-old Richard Pratt and his passenger, 21-year-old Amanda Lee Moser, both of Weed, Calif. White also ordered Miller’s driver’s license revoked for eight years upon his release. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail Driver sentenced to 8 years in jail ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Absinthe Supply Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Debt Consolidation California Casinos Cuban Cigars Generic Viagra Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada King of Spirits Advertisement s Advertisement