The Butte County Superior Court sentenced the woman who caused a fatal accident in Chico, Butte County, California, to prison. 24-year-old Amery May Sweany received six years and eight months for vehicular manslaughter for the 2019 crash in East Avenue that killed Virgil Santos, 64.
Before the sentencing, District Attorney Mike Ramsey asked Judge Michael Deems to give the woman the maximum punishment. He presented the victim’s wife and daughter to address the court on the impact their patriarch’s death had and continues to have on their lives.
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The DA told the court that in April 2019, Sweany drove down East Avenue on top speed, going over 70 miles per hour. She was weaving in and out of traffic and ran a red light on Marigold Avenue. The woman struck Santos’ car, leaving him with injuries that claimed his life at Chico’s Enloe Hospital.
The victim’s wife sustained severe injuries and underwent multiple surgeries for several months. Ramsey said that in addition to the vehicular manslaughter charge, Sweany pled no contest to a count of resisting an officer and one count of battery upon an officer for attacking two correctional officers while in Butte County Jail.
In a press release, the DA said that the woman’s actions were particularly egregious because although she was not intoxicated, she had detectable amounts of controlled substances in her system. He noted that by speeding down a main street in Chico, she showed no concern for the safety of those around her, thereby causing death and severe injury.
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