A Lancaster man will serve at least three years in prison for being intoxicated last year when he caused a fatal crash in Pequea Township.
Benjamin R. Manotti’s blood-alcohol level was about three times the legal limit for drivers on Jan. 16, 2016, when his vehicle veered into a Ford Taurus driven by Gregory Pizarro. Pizarro, 33, was killed.
In Lancaster County Court Friday, Manotti pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide while DUI and related counts in exchange for a 3-to-6-year term in state prison.
County Judge Jeffery Wright accepted the plea agreement and ordered sentence.
Assistant District Attorney Maria Cusick arranged the plea agreement, which includes $3,132 that Manotti was ordered to pay for Pizarro’s funeral costs.
Manotti, 38, was seen driving erratically, and very slowly, prior to veering his Chevy Blazer into Pizarro’s Ford Taurus.
Testing after the crash showed Manotti’s blood-alcohol level was .239 percent, about three times the Pennsylvania limit (.08 percent) for drivers.
It is Manotti’s third DUI charge since 2005. At the time of the crash, he was driving without a license, which has been suspended since a 2007 DUI conviction.
Southern Regional police Cpl. John Michener filed charges.
MEDIA CONTACT: Brett A. Hambright, 717-295-2041; bhambright@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @BrettHambright