Jan. 29, 2025 8:45p
(WGTD)---A Salem Lakes man was given an 18-year prison sentence Wednesday for running a stop sign and killing an 89-year-old woman and injuring her husband.
43-year-old Steven Falls, Jr. had pleaded guilty to charges that included homicide and hit and run.
Marilyn Kutzler died a day after the crash in July of 2022. It happened at 38th St. and East Frontage Rd.
Kutzler's husband survived the accident and spoke in court Wednesday, asking Judge Jason Rossell to impose the maximum sentence. The couple had been married for 70 years.
At the time of the crash, Falls had been in treatment for addiction but was still using illegal drugs, including heroin. Falls' record includes five OWI's.
In sentencing him to prison, Judge Rossell noted that Falls failed to take advantage of treatment programs on numerous occasions. "You had a million chances," Rossell said.
Now it was time to protect the public. "It really becomes a question of public safety," Rossell said.
Falls' attorney, Ben Schwarz, conceded his client had a long-running drug and alcohol problem, exacerbated by a work place injury that led to an opioid addiction. Schwarz also noted that Falls cooperated with police after briefly running from the scene.
Rossell's 18-year sentence exceeded by a few years the recommendation of the prosecutor.
Family of both the victim and the defendant were in court.
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