LIMA — A man who was the driver of a car that crashed and killed two girls in 2008 was sentenced to 30 months in prison Monday after receiving numerous chances to get his life together.
Andrew Lane, 26, was sentenced in Allen County Common Pleas Court to one year on the charge of aggravated possession of drugs, and to 18 months in prison for violating terms of his release from the previous case.
“Your record is as bad as I’ve ever seen for somebody who is no more than 26 years of age,” Judge David Cheney said.
Lane also was convicted of felony charges for the Dec. 5, 2008, deaths of Sara Kruger, a sophomore, and Kierra Morman, a freshman, both at Allen East High School. The crash happened on Greely Chapel Road at 3:30 a.m. when Lane was driving at a high rate of speed.
Judge Richard Warren gave Lane a second chance in his first case when he released Lane two years into a four-year sentence. At the time, Lane promised to honor the lives of the two girls killed at his hands.
Assistant Allen County Prosecutor Jana Emerick mentioned that case and other charges against him. She said Lane has led a life of crime.
Lane has seven convictions as a child including possession of a firearm at school, Cheney said.
In the most recent case, Lane pleaded guilty to aggravated possession of drugs after he was found in possession of synthetic marijuana on Sept. 5. Afterward, Lane never showed for sentencing and fled to Tennessee. He turned himself in last week, Emerick said.
Lane tried to explain why he ran.
“I did panic. I was not in my right mind state. I have a lot of mental issues going on. I’m not using that as an excuse. I did turn myself in and I’m trying to accept responsibility like a man,” Lane said.
Emerick said Lane has been in numerous programs to get him help for drug usage but nothing has ever helped him. He also had an arrest in 2015 for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.
“Mr. Lane has been given every benefit the criminal justice had to offer,” Emerick said.
Emerick asked Cheney for a harsh sentence, which Cheney gave saying the public needed to be protected and Lane needed to be punished.
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