A 22-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years -- nine to be served behind bars -- after pleading guilty Wednesday to buying the alcohol blamed in a Douglas County wreck that killed a teenager.
Before his sentencing, Dustin Willis apologized to the court for his actions leading up to the February 2011 wreck that killed 16-year-old Cheyenne Sauls, who was a Villa Rica High School sophomore.
Prosecutors said Willis bought the alcohol and beer a 17-year-old drank before driving and crashing a Chevrolet Blazer, killing Sauls and injuring two others. The Blazer flipped several times before striking a U-Haul truck, investigators previously said.
Willis was the only adult in the vehicle at the time of the crash and ran away from the accident scene, prosecutors said. The driver of the Blazer, Jason Lark, pleaded guilty in September and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
The victim's mother, Debbie Sauls, addressed Willis in the courtroom, questioning the sincerity of his apology.
"Not once in your speech, Mr. Willis, did I hear you accept responsibility for that night," Debbie Sauls said. "You said you were sorry, but you never once said I accept responsibility."
A total of 10 people were charged in the fatal wreck.
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