Woman sentenced to prison for fatal crash

SANDUSKY — A Sandusky woman who drove while intoxicated and caused a crash that killed her passenger pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison. Jocelyn Cherry, 20, of Cove Street, pleaded guilty in Erie County's common pleas court to two felonies, aggravated vehicular homicide and aggravated vehicular assault. Two other counts, operating a vehicle under the influence and operating a vehicle under the influence while underage, were dismissed. Last week, Judge Roger Binette sentenced Cherry to four years in prison, with one year being mandatory. Her driver's license will also be suspended for five years. The charges stem from a March 16 crash at Ohio 2 and Ohio 101. Cherry drove a vehicle with her friend, Storm Lanier, 18, riding in the passenger seat. Cherry's vehicle went through a red light and struck a pickup, causing her car to catch on fire. Erie County Sheriff's Deputy Mitchell Zunt responded to the crash and pulled Lanier, who was unconscious, out of the vehicle less than a minute before it became engulfed in flames. Lanier died in a hospital the next day; Zunt was later commended by the sheriff's office for his actions, giving Lanier's family a chance to say goodbye. Cherry will serve her sentence at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville. She will get credit for 27 days served in jail.