Man Pleads No Contest in Fatal Accident : Courts: Newhall resident accepts 10-year prison term for drunk driving wreck that killed the wife of a paramedic.

A 28-year-old Newhall contractor agreed Thursday to accept a 10-year prison sentence for a drunk driving accident that killed a former sheriff’s deputy and mother of four. He has two previous drunk driving convictions.

Tyrone Michael Stewart entered a plea of no contest in Newhall Municipal Court during a hearing watched by his family and Jake Schonert, the husband of the victim, Patricia Schonert.

The accident received widespread attention when it was learned that Jake Schonert, a paramedic, had been called to the scene of his wife’s fatal accident. When fellow emergency personnel recognized Patricia Schonert as a victim in the crash, his ambulance was ordered back to the fire station.

A somber Schonert seemed only slightly relieved Thursday by the prompt action in the case.

“I’m thankful that the Lord has provided somewhat of a closure on this,” Jake Schonert said after the hearing. “I trust the Lord will show us through.”

The accident occurred in the late afternoon on Oct. 17 as Stewart drove south on San Fernando Road just past Circle J Ranch Road. Authorities said his pickup swerved across the center of the highway into Patricia Schonert’s car, which was then struck from behind by another car. She was pinned in the wreckage.

Stewart was hospitalized in critical condition following the accident. He appeared in court in a wheelchair covered by a pale blue sheet, one leg in a cast and the other wrapped in a bandage.

Appearing frail and speaking in a low tone, Stewart had to be asked to speak up to enter pleas of no contest to charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence and causing injury, and driving with a blood-alcohol level greater than .08% and causing bodily injury.

The court agreed that Stewart, a father of two, could begin serving his sentence in state prison after he recuperated from his injuries. Stewart’s attorney, Richard Hutton of Glendale, described his client as a good young man who “recognizes what he did.”

“Remorseful is an understatement,” Hutton said.

The quick resolution of the case is unusual, both Hutton and Deputy Dist. Atty. Kenneth Barshop agreed.

Hutton said that in the absence of a plea agreement, his client might have faced a second-degree murder charge, which could have resulted in a sentence of life in prison.

Barshop said the fact that blood evidence was taken from an artery--rather than a vein, as is usually done--might have complicated the prosecution if the case had gone to trial. Hospital tests indicated that two hours and 40 minutes after the accident, Stewart had a blood-alcohol level of 0.18%.

In the hallway after the hearing, Stewart’s father approached Jake Schonert, shook his hand and in a quiet voice said, “I’m the dad, and I’m so sorry.”

Schonert, fighting back the tears, took his hand and nodded.

“Whenever there is a death, no matter how much punishment can be given, nobody can bring the decedent back to life,” Barshop said later. “[Stewart] is aware of that.”