A Gibsonton man was sentenced to 15 years in state prison today for killing an 83-year-old woman while he was street racing.
Roger Lee Yeager, 39, was found guilty in October of vehicular homicide in the death of Vertis Ryan on Feb. 11, 2007. The jury also convicted him of felony street racing and reckless driving in the wreck that also seriously injured Ryan's husband, William.
Yeager was sentenced to 15 years behind bars on the vehicular homicide charge and a total of six years of probation on the other charges, Assistant State Attorney Barbara Coleman said. His driver's license also was permanently revoked.
Trial testimony showed Yeager and Michael Anthony Smith were racing on Gibsonton Drive when William Ryan, then 85, made a U-turn into their lane. Smith had begun to slow down, but witnesses said Yeager's Nissan 350Z rammed into Ryan's Ford Taurus despite Yeager's efforts to avoid the collision.
An accident reconstruction expert estimated Yeager and Smith were traveling more than 100 mph before entering the curve near Kendra Drive where the accident occurred.
Smith pleaded guilty to similar charges and is serving a three-year prison sentence.
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