A seven year prison sentence was imposed Thursday for a Kingman man held responsible for the death of his own young son. Daniel Stuart, 31, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol and manslaughter.
Stuart was driving a pickup truck that left U.S. 93 and rolled after striking a guardrail almost 30 miles north of Wikieup on January 2, 2017. Ejected and pronounced dead at the scene of the rollover was Kaleb Stuart, 4.
Daniel Stuart, a woman and three other children in the vehicle survived the crash. Authorities said that Stuart’s blood alcohol content measured .101 percent some four hours after the accident, above the legal limit of .08 percent.
Defense attorney Darcy Downs-Volbracht said Stuart is punished each day of his life. “He will be apologetic and grief stricken for the rest of his days,” she said.
Former Mohave County Superior Court Judge Richard Weiss previously rejected a plea agreement mandating a 5.5 year prison term.
Judge Billy Sipe told Stuart that he typically imposes harsh punishment when people are caught drinking and driving and when people are hurt or killed, particularly children. Sipe said both factors are evident in the Stuart case.
“This is not a tragic accident because you’ve pleaded guilty to manslaughter,” Sipe said. “You had no business driving, especially with children in the vehicle.”
Terms of the plea agreement required Sipe to impose a prison sentence between three and seven years. He imposed the maximum punishment and said he would order more prison time if the agreement allowed him to do so.
