A former state trooper was sentenced to two years in prison Tuesday following his guilty pleas in a crash that killed the wife of the Atlanta Braves head trainer.
Donald Crozier, 43, was also sentenced to eight years on probation for the 2011 New Year’s Eve crash that killed Kathy Porter, wife of Jeff Porter, longtime Braves trainer. Crozier pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide, reckless driving and violating his oath of office — a charge he initially denied.
“But he took an oath and he deliberately broke it more than once,” Jeff Porter said in the courtroom Tuesday, according to Channel 2 Action News. “The state of Georgia has laws and he broke them. Kathy paid with her life.”
Crozier, a 10-year veteran of the Georgia State Patrol, was speeding to assist in a chase on I-20 when his cruiser collided with the Porters’ Ford Expedition at the intersection of Capitol Avenue and Memorial Drive. The Porters, along with their son and friend, were headed to a college football game at the time of the crash.
Kathy Porter, 54, was pronounced dead on the scene. Crozier, who had a history of wrecks, was fired from the state patrol days after the deadly crash, according to state patrol records.
In the courtroom, Crozier apologized to the Porter family for his actions.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Craig Schwall also ordered Crozier to work with other law enforcement officers at the state training center to help them understand the dangers and responsibilities of their jobs, Channel 2 reported.
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