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Schenectady County resident Gregory Mitchell, of Scotia, was sentenced Thursday, Sept. 18, to six to 18 years in prison on the aggravated vehicular homicide charge and six years on an assault charge for the Saturday, Oct. 21 crash in Schenectady.
According to Schenectady District Attorney Robert Carney, following the crash, Mitchell was found to be under the influence of a combination of both drugs and alcohol.
Jacqueline McCole, of Scotia, who was in his passenger seat when the car burst into flames, died as a result, the Schenectady Police said at the time.
The DA's Office said video evidence obtained shows Mitchell and McCole leaving a local Schenectady bar shortly before the crash.
Court records show Mitchell can be seen stumbling to his vehicle on the video, entering the driver's seat, driving the wrong way on a one-way street, and stopping at a green light.
After he turns onto Eastern Parkway, county cameras show him picking up speed. Witnesses in the area reported him speeding and driving in the middle of the road, causing one driver to pull to the side of the road driving in the opposite direction.
Mitchell then crashed into a parked van on the shoulder of the eastbound lane, pushing the van forward 30 feet before the van hit a telephone pole, breaking the pole. McCole died instantly.
Mitchell was extracted from the vehicle and taken to Albany Medical Center, where a sample of his blood was taken for analysis, the DA's office said. The sample showed that Mitchell had a blood alcohol content of .19 percent, as well as the presence of marijuana.
McCole was a mother of three and grandmother of five. At sentencing, her sister, two daughters, and mother spoke. She was described as someone who loved life and was full of happiness.
Just before leaving the house on the day she died, McCole took a selfie and sent it to her mother. Her mother proudly displayed that picture as she spoke.
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