OC Man Admits Using Nitrous Oxide In Deadly Crash
SANTA ANA (AP) — A Santa Ana man has pleaded guilty to inhaling nitrous oxide gas while driving, leading to a fiery crash that killed one passenger and injured others.
Orange County district attorney's spokeswoman Farrah Emami says under a deal with prosecutors 22-year-old Jose Luis Gomez Nava, in a wheelchair since the crash, pleaded guilty Monday to one felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence while intoxicated. He was sentenced to one year in jail and five years' probation.
Prosecutors say in November 2010, Nava was speeding over 80 mph with three teenagers in his car when he sucked gas from a balloon while driving. His head dropped, he let go of the steering wheel and smashed into a tree, and the car caught fire.
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