Southington driver in New Year’s Eve hit-and-run crash pleads guilty, sentenced to prison
Judge Ronald J. Rice of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court sentenced 55-year-old Pete Paul Urick to four years in prison.
Urick pleaded guilty to two counts of failure to stop after an accident and one count of tampering with evidence after a crash on New Year’s Eve in 2021.
Judge Rice sentenced the Southington resident to consecutive prison sentences totaling four years.
Urick told the judge he takes full responsibility, saying he has always dealt with alcohol and mental health issues.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Urick was also ordered to pay restitution totaling more than $2 million to the couple to cover both medical expenses and lost wages.
New Year’s Eve 2021
Urick was driving a Ford pickup truck on Corey Hunt Road on New Year’s Eve in 2021 when he struck the scooters ridden by Leona and David Fisher.
The Fishers received serious injuries, while Urick left the scene.
Prosecutors stated the defendant tried to hide the damaged vehicle from investigators by purchasing new parts for the truck.
Prosecutors in a sentencing memo stated that Urick was involved in a 1990 fatal vehicular crash and Judge Rice pointed out a long list of other criminal offenses.
Rice stated consecutive sentences were necessary in order to protect the public because of the defendant’s conduct.
The judge also suspended Urick’s driver’s license for three years.
David Fisher delivered a victim’s impact statement telling the judge the accident changed their lives with his wife still facing more medical procedures.
Warren resident Michael D. Robinson, 38, also pleaded guilty to a fifth-degree theft charge in front of Judge Rice in the Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
Records show Robinson will be sentenced after undergoing a background check conducted by probation officers.
In August, Robinson was arrested after he was seen walking out of the Bazetta Walmart SuperCenter with a shopping cart full of merchandise that prosecutors stated was valued at more than $1,000.
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