ROCKLAND, Maine — A Rockport man pleaded guilty Friday in Knox County Unified Court to manslaughter and aggravated operating under the influence for the January 2015 death of 35-year-old Daniel Cormier.
The prosecution and defense reached an agreement in which Jeremy Stone, 42, would be sentenced to 10 years in prison with all but up to three years suspended. The three years is a cap, and the defense will be able to argue for less time when the sentencing hearing is held on April 28.
If the agreement is approved by the judge, Stone also would be placed on probation for four years upon his release from prison.
The maximum sentence for manslaughter is 30 years.
No family members of the victim were present in court on Friday to comment on the plea agreement, but they only would be allowed to speak at the sentencing hearing.
Stone was driving drunk the evening of Jan. 30, 2015, when his Jeep Cherokee struck Cormier as the victim walked with two friends along Camden Street near Pizza Hut in Rockland. Cormier was declared dead upon arrival at the local hospital. The friends were not injured.
Cormier was walking in the travel lane of the street because of snow on the shoulder of the roadway and was walking with his back to traffic, according to Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Baroody. Cormier died shortly after being taken to Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport.
Stone left without stopping, according to police, but was arrested at a Rockland residence shortly after the crash.
Officers were led to Stone by his ex-wife, who went to the crash site and told police that her husband had called her to say he had messed up and believed he had hit someone, the prosecutor said. When officers went to a residence in Rockland to speak to Stone, he admitted he had struck something but was not sure what it was because it was raining and visibility was poor.
Stone said he did not stop because he panicked, since he had illegally attached false registration plates on his vehicle.
Stone told police that he had consumed three drinks of rum and ginger ale before leaving his residence and that he regularly takes Suboxone and Klonopin, which he is prescribed, according to the affidavit. He also allegedly told police, however, that on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the most drunk, he believes he was at about a three.
A blood alcohol test taken of Stone later that evening found his level at 0.09, according to the affidavit. A person is considered under the influence when the blood alcohol level is at or higher than 0.08.
Stone allegedly told the officer that he had nothing to drink after the crash.
Stone spent nine months in jail before he was able to raise bail and was released in October.
Stone also pleaded guilty to violating a condition of release for testing positive for drugs while he was free on bail. Any sentence on that offense will be concurrent with the manslaughter sentence.