Local News in Brief : PCP Driver Sentenced
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A man with a history of driving under the influence of PCP was sentenced Friday to 15 years to life in prison for driving his speeding car into another vehicle in Florence, killing its driver and injuring a 2-year-old girl.
Cornell Wayne Walters, 27, was convicted in Norwalk Superior Court in September of second-degree murder and driving under the influence of PCP. Prosecutors said that at the time of the accident, Walters had two prior convictions on drug charges.
Prosecutors said that two county park patrol officers began chasing Walters’ vehicle Nov. 12, 1986, after he nearly sideswiped their patrol car while driving about 80 m.p.h. on Compton Avenue near 68th Street. During the chase, Walters crossed the street’s center dividing lines and slammed head-on into a vehicle driven by Aurelio Arias, 34. Arias was killed and his daughter suffered minor injuries.
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