A man who was convicted of driving drunk and causing a crash that killed a teenager in her hometown of Lindenhurst was sentenced Monday to 10 2/3 to 32 years in prison.
Michael Grasing had been convicted in November at Suffolk County court of vehicular homicide, manslaughter, driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of a fatal accident and traffic violations. He was acquitted of second-degree murder by depraved indifference.
Prosecutors said the 34-year-old Babylon man had a blood alcohol content of 0.32 percent—four times the legal limit—while speeding in his Nissan Maxima more than 85 mph on Montauk Highway when he rear-ended 18-year old Brittney Walsh’s Kia Sportage, which then flip multiple times on June 24, 2012.
“The defendant continued down Montauk Highway and, at times, he drove on the sidewalk, and narrowly missed a crowd,” Suffolk County District Attorney Tom Spota said. “His car was finally rendered immobile when he hit a utility pole.”
Walsh, a recent high school graduate who was driving home from her job at a local department store, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Justice Mark Cohen ordered the sentences for each charge to be served consecutively. Grasing’s attorney, William Keahon, told reporters that he plans to appeal.
