Florida drunken driver gets 30 years for killing popular chef

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — A drunk driver who hit and killed a popular St. Petersburg chef walking home from work has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

The Tampa Bay Times reports that 26-year-old Jason Mitchell was sentenced Monday. He pleaded guilty Friday to DUI, vehicular homicide and other charges.

St. Petersburg police say Mitchell was speeding through the city's downtown just after 2 a.m. one morning last April when he ran a red light and struck 31-year-old Aaron Davis and 28-year-old Brian Lee LaFrance.

Davis, a chef at Kitchen St. Pete, died at the scene. LaFrance was critically injured but survived.

Police say Mitchell had a blood alcohol content of .092 percent and tried unsuccessfully to escape from police headquarters.

Davis' wife gave birth to the couple's second child days after his death.

Associated Press