By Joe Gerrety

A man who drove drunk and caused a crash that killed his passenger and friend was sentenced Friday to six years in prison and two years on community corrections.

Anthony L. Stout, 25, pleaded guilty last month to a Class B felony in a plea agreement that left sentencing up to Judge Don Johnson of Tippecanoe Superior Court 1.

Stout had a blood-alcohol content of 0.163, twice the legal limit for driving in Indiana, when he missed a curve on McCormick Road on Nov. 6.

Jennifer A. Buckingham, 21, of West Lafayette, a passenger in Stout's SUV, was killed when the vehicle slid sideways into a utility pole. The crash knocked out power to nearby homes and a sewage pumping station.

Johnson imposed prison time despite the fact that Buckingham's parents, Jim and Renee Buckingham, recommended otherwise. Jim Buckingham said he didn't believe Stout was a criminal and feared prison would turn him into one.

But Buckingham said Stout, a high school dropout, would have to give meaning to Jennifer's life by changing his ways, learning a trade and becoming a productive member of society in order to earn his forgiveness.

Buckingham said in a letter read by chief deputy prosecutor Kristen McVey that his daughter was comforting Stout as he dealt with a breakup from a girlfriend.

Buckingham said he believes Stout is remorseful and interested in changing. He demonstrated that recently by repairing a cross memorializing Jennifer's death that marks the scene of the crash.

The cross had been destroyed by one of several crashes that have occurred at the S-curves since Jennifer's death, Buckingham said. He urged county officials to make changes to the road to improve its safety.

But Officer Tim Bonner, a member of the county's Fatal Alcohol Crash Team, said speed and Stout's impairment were the primary factors in the crash.

"It is a bad intersection, but there are signs," Bonner said. "There is a flashing light."

Johnson recognized Stout's remorse and acknowledged the Buckinghams' wishes but said, "I have to look at it from a community safety point of view."

In addition to the prison time, Stout will serve two years on some combination of work release, house arrest and day reporting.