Driver Gets 10 Years In in Fatal Vernon Motorcycle Crash Case

VERNON, CT — The driver of a vehicle involved in a fatal crash with a motorcycle in November 2020 in Vernon was sentenced to 10 years in prison Friday with additional conditions.

The 47-year-old Ellington man had entered a guilty plea to a second-degree manslaughter charge in October.

The sentence rendered for Mark A. Desmarais includes 10 years in prison — suspended after 90 months — and probation for five years. Stipulations include 10 hours of community service, serving at a rehabilitation facility, not possessing alcohol and, once his driver's license is restored, using an ignition device that detects alcohol, according to case records.

The crash occurred on Talcottville Road in Vernon on Nov. 27, 2020.

According to case records, Desmarais was operating a motor vehicle that crashed into a motorcycle being operated by Willie Cooper, 61, of Vernon. Cooper suffered life-threatening injuries as a result of the crash. Vernon Police attempted life-saving measures at the scene of the crash and transported Cooper to Rockville General Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries, case records show.

After what Tolland County State's Attorney Matthew Gedansky termed, "an extremely thorough investigation by the Vernon Police Department," investigators were able to determine that Desmarais was drinking alcohol at three different establishments prior to driving the vehicle, case records show. Blood samples obtained from Desmarais shortly after the incident showed that he was driving at more than twice the legal limit with blood alcohol levels of .197 and .187, Gedansky said. The legal limit to operate a motor vehicle in Connecticut is a .08 blood alcohol level.