Green River Man To Be Sentenced For Double Vehicular Homicide

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A Green River man who killed two people when he drove a vehicle into a residence in March will appear for sentencing tomorrow.

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George Maestas, 68, is set to appear before 3rd Judicial District Judge Nena James Thursday morning to be sentenced for two counts of Aggravated Homicide by Vehicle and one count of Driving While Under a Controlled Substance Causing Serious Bodily Injury.

Maestas pleaded no contest to the charges last week. No plea agreement was reached in this case, so Maestas faces the maximum penalty for the charges. He faces up to 50 years imprisonment and $25,000 in fines.

The sentencing will be argued, so both the defense and the prosecution are allowed to call witnesses and present an argument for an appropriate sentence.

The hearing is expected to take the majority of the day and may go into Friday.

CTS

The charges stem from an incident on March 10, 2017 when a vehicle Maestas was operating drove into a residence at 695 Evers Street in Green River.

The crash resulted in the deaths of one-year-old Stella Doak and her great-grandmother, 62-year-old Debra DeVries. Frank Johnson was also seriously injured in the incident. The victims were in the home at the time of the crash.

According to court documents, responding officers noted that Maestas seemed disoriented and confused with blood-shot eyes, slurred speech, and poor balance. Officers did not observe alcohol on Maestas’ breath and believed he was under the influence of something other than alcohol. A Drug Recognition Expert evaluated Maestas and reported that he believed Maestas was under the influence of a narcotic analgesic at the time of the crash.

Maestas remains held at the Sweetwater County Detention Center on a $1 million cash or commercial surety bond.