Man Sentenced For Crash That Killed Newtown Middle School Aide

A Peruvian man who was behind the wheel during a head-on crash that killed a beloved teacher’s aide at Newtown Middle School then fled to South America has pleaded guilty to one count of homicide by vehicle.

Nelio Sotomayor-Sanchez, 47, will serve 18 months to five years in state prison for the 2010 crash that killed 55-year-old Sheree Maillie of Newtown Township.

A day after criminal charges were filed in connection with the crash, Sotomayor-Sanchez flew from Florida to South America. He remained a fugitive until Peruvian officials arrested him in January 2017.

Because he fled, Bucks County Common Pleas Court Judge Rea B. Boylan imposed an aggravated-range sentence in a crime for which state sentencing guidelines prescribed three to 12 months in the standard range, authorities with the District Attorney's office said.

"He left this country, making himself unavailable, without determining whether these matters had been resolved. And he knew that someone had died," Boylan said, according to a press release from the Bucks County District Attorney's office.

Deputy District Attorney Robert D. James said the day of the crash — Dec. 23, 2010 — Sotomayor-Sanchez became impatient with slow-moving cars ahead of him and illegally crossed a double-yellow line to pass them, hitting Maillie’s oncoming vehicle head-on.

He was driving without a valid license at the time, did not call 911 or assist Maille, and then fled the country knowing he was the subject of a criminal investigation, prosecutors said.

Sotomayor-Sanchez finally was returned to the United States in November. He had been living with his wife and two children at the time of the crash. He will be deported to Peru after serving his sentence.

He admitted having received a crash report from the Middletown Township Police Department detailing his culpability in Maillie’s death prior to leaving the country. But he told the Boylan that he was unaware of any criminal charges against him at the time he departed.

Sotomayor-Sanchez told the judge he left the country to seek surgery for his injuries in Peru under his father’s government-funded medical insurance.

“From the day the accident occurred, I have not stopped thinking of her,” Sotomayor-Sanchez said through an interpreter. “I am Catholic and … she is always in my prayers. Wherever she is, she knows that I have always asked for forgiveness in my prayers.”

PHOTO: Bucks Count DA