Drunk man who crashed into sailboat is sentenced to 30 months in prison

SEATTLE (AP) — A Renton man who was drunk when his speedboat slammed into a sailboat on Lake Washington last summer, killing one person and injuring two others, was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

The Seattle Times reports that Richard Hicks was sentenced Friday for the July 2014 crash.

During his trial, Hicks admitted that he had been boating under the influence of alcohol that night. His blood alcohol content was nearly twice the legal limit.

The jury convicted Hicks in July of one count of homicide by watercraft and two counts of assault by watercraft.

Local schoolteacher Melissa Protz was killed in the crash. The sailboat operator received 17 broken ribs and another passenger suffered shoulder and head injuries.