SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. – The Shasta County District Attorney's Office said a man in the county was sentenced to 25 years in state prison.
On December 1st, Derreck Tope plead guilty to numerous accounts including gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, evading an officer, false imprisonment, and three counts of possession of a stolen vehicle, according to the DA.
Prosecutors say Tope was high on methamphetamine and driving a stolen vehicle in October of 2019, when an Anderson Police Officer tried to pull him over. They say Tope sped away and refused to let the passengers in his vehicle get out when they asked him to stop.
After a pursuit, Tope ended up hitting a median on Interstate 5. As a result of the crash, the victim suffered head injuries and later died in the hospital.
He crashed the car and it rolled over several times. Passenger Ethan Purdy died as a result of his injuries.
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