This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A 27-year-old Washington County man has been sentenced to 90 days in jail on a misdemeanor stemming from an ATV-dirt bike crash that killed a teenager.
Mackay Thomas Stephens, of Brookside, who originally was charged with a third-degree felony count of automobile homicide while driving under the influence, pleaded guilty to a DUI-related class A misdemeanor as part of a plea bargain. The sentence was imposed Thursday by 5th District Judge Eric Ludlow in St. George.
According to the Utah Highway Patrol, Austin Mcelyea, 17, a student at Snow Canyon High School, was riding a dirt bike on Spanish Trail Drive, near the town of Veyo, on May 18 when he stopped near Interstate 15. Stephens, who was on an ATV behind him, struck the dirt bike's rear tire, the UHP said.
Mcelyea was ejected from the bike and, despite wearing a helmet, was killed on impact, the UHP said.
Defense attorney Marshall Witt said that under the totality of the circumstances, the sentence was "a fair and just resolution."
Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC