A Mississippi man pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide by impairment on Thursday in a case in which his female passenger died.
Lucas Rippy was driving on Thrasher Pike in the May 2013 incident when his vehicle went out of control. DUI Prosecutor Kate Lavery said it went onto its top, hit a pole and then landed back on its wheels while turned the opposite direction it had been traveling.
Rippy, who was 41 at the time, was injured and 45-year-old Samantha Ownby of Hixson was ejected. She died after being taken to Erlanger Hospital.
Rippy was driving a Mustang in the incident that happened at 3:05 a.m. on a Saturday.
Neither occupant of the vehicle was wearing a seat belt.
Ms. Lavery said Rippy was drinking at a bar within 15 minutes of the crash.
She said he tested .14 blood alcohol content two and a half hours after the wreck.
He faces 8-12 years in prison with eligibility for probation consideration after serving 30 percent of the term. He had no prior record.
Rippy will be sentenced on March 9 at 1:30 p.m. by Criminal Court Judge Don Poole.