Man Sentenced To 7 Years For Fatal 2016 Crash

South Kingstown, R.I. -- Two years after causing a fatal drunk driving crash in Charlestown, a local man was sentenced Tuesday to serve seven years of a 15-year sentence. Hunter C. Stephenson, 20, was 17 when he crossed the median on Route 1 on August 29, 2016, hitting a motorcyclist head-on.

The 21-year-old motorcyclist, Thomas Hug, was killed instantly in the crash.

Officers determined that Stephenson was under the influence of both marijuana and alcohol at the time of the crash, and was driving well above the posted speed limit.

Stephenson was charged with one count of driving under the influence, death resulting. He pleaded no contest to the charge and accepted a plea deal from the Rhode Island Attorney General's office.

According to the Charlestown Police Department, Stephenson was sentenced to 15 years at the Adult Correctional Institute in Cranston, with seven to serve.

"These tragic events are yet another example of a young person making a bad decision to drive a motor vehicle while under the influence," the release read. "The bad decision resulted in a lifetime of pain for both the operator's family and the victim's family."

Hug would have been 24 years old on January 30.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the crash occurred in Westerly.

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