WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A man has been given 25 years in prison for being intoxicated when his pickup truck struck a minivan in Waterloo, killing a baby inside. Black Hawk County District Court records say 37-year-old Derrick Johnson was sentenced Monday. He’d been found guilty of vehicular homicide while intoxicated. He also was ordered to pay restitution of $150,000.
Authorities say Johnson was involved in an Aug. 2, 2017, collision that killed 7-month-old Liam Mwanje, who was inside the minivan when it overturned. Other children in the minivan were injured.
Police say Johnson was speeding, failed to halt at a stop sign and was distracted and looking in his rearview mirror. Police also estimated that Johnson’s blood alcohol level was as high as 1½ times the legal limit at the time of the collision and say he had cocaine in his system.