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Man sentenced to two years for drunk driving fatal

The 21-year-old accused of killing a teenage girl in a 2012 impaired driving crash near Stettler has been sentenced to two years in prison.

The 21-year-old accused of killing a teenage girl in a 2012 impaired driving crash near Stettler has been sentenced to two years in prison.

Trevor James Dahl, 21, of Stettler pleaded guilty to being over the legal limit of 0.08 while driving causing death and to a breech of his recognizance in relation to the first charge in Red Deer provincial court Thursday.

Jude Gordon Deck handed down the two year jail term, followed by a three year driving prohibition.

Koralea Boettger, then 17, was killed in the crash.

Her mother, Janel Boettger said in her victim impact statement that the debt Dahl will have to pay will amount to very little for those who suffered.

“We are all to used to a year or two in sentencing for DUI causing death,” said Boettger, outside of the courtroom.

“Canadians need to tell the government that we want life to matter.”

Dahl had been drinking at a party near Stettler on Feb. 11. In a two hour time frame he had consumed three beer and three whiskey drinks. In a joint submission Crown Attorney Wayne Silliker and defence attorney Andrew Fong said Dahl was going to leave the party and Koralea asked for a ride.

At about 1:30 a.m. on Feb. 11 police were called to a collision on a rural road near Erskine. On scene police said a truck had left the road and gone into the trees at the side of the road. Boettger, who was not wearing a seat belt at the time, was ejected. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

An RCMP collision analyst said the car drifted into the opposite lane and gradually drove off the road and into the trees.

The defence said Dahl had hit a patch of ice and did not want to jam on the brakes and flip the truck.

Police interviewed and arrested Dahl and the scene and demanded a blood sample, when Dahl did not provide one, police waited until he left the hospital and got a sample. Through retroactive sampling it was determined that when Dahl was driving he had a blood alcohol content of 0.136.

Six victim impact statements were read in court.

mcrawford@www.reddeeradvocate.com

including ones from Koralea’s father Allistair Stewart as well as grandparents and other relatives.

“Somebody needs to set a precedent for someone’s ill advised decisions on a sentencing,” said Stewart.

“Impaired driving causing death is murder.”