DENVER — A woman charged with leaving the scene of an accident that left a construction flagger dead has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
Kathleen Sugaski, 44, pleaded guilty in March to a charge of vehicular homicide-DUI, according to court documents. Four other charges were dismissed.
The Denver Police Department (DPD) said 55-year-old Jose Ocampo, Sr. and another construction flagger were hit near the intersection of 29th Street and Arkins Court in the River North Arts District in September 2021.
The victims were taken to a hospital, DPD said, where Ocampo was pronounced dead.
>WATCH ABOVE: Son mourns loss of construction flagger hit, killed in Denver
A Medina Alert was issued, and Sugaski's abandoned SUV was found a few blocks away from the scene of the crash.
DPD said a detective contacted Sugaski later that day and found that she showed signs of impairment including slurred speech, the smell of alcohol on her breath and swaying.
Court records show the following charges were dismissed as part of a plea deal:
- Leaving the scene of an accident involving death
- Vehicular homicide-reckless driving
- Leaving the scene of an accident involving serious injury
- Vehicular assault-reckless
MORE WAYS TO GET 9NEWS
Subscribe to our daily 9NEWSLETTER for top stories from 9NEWS curated daily just for you. Get content and information right now for can’t-miss stories, Next and Broncos content, weather and more delivered right to your inbox.
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP
iTunes: http://on9news.tv/itunes
Google Play: http://on9news.tv/1lWnC5n
HOW TO ADD THE 9NEWS APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KUSA.
For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "9NEWS" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS