Florida man gets 15 years for fatal crash

GILLETTE (WNE) — A truck driver from Florida who was found with beer cans in his cab after crashing into and killing another driver north of Gillette has been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.

Nicholas L. Alvarez, 39, on Aug. 15 received an imposed 8.5- to 15-year sentence for aggravated vehicular homicide, according to court documents. Alvarez pleaded guilty to the charge in May.

In addition to imposing prison time, District Judge Stuart S. Healy III also ordered Alvarez to pay $11,196.08 in restitution to the parents of the man killed and $8,373.20 to the Division of Victim Services.

The conviction stems from a crash in which 33-year-old Aaron Foster, a Casper man originally from Hendersonville, Texas, was killed.

Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers responded to the fatal crash Nov. 9, 2022, on Highway 59 north of Gillette. There were dry, light snow flurries at the time.

On the scene, they saw a box truck with heavy front damage on the shoulder of the southbound lane and a pickup in a ditch by the northbound lane, according to court documents.

Once Alvarez was extricated from the truck, troopers could smell alcohol coming from inside.

Several cans of beer were found in the truck, according to court documents, and a witness who stopped to help Alvarez told officers that Alvarez asked him to hide the alcohol.

Evidence at the scene showed Alvarez had crossed the center line and was driving south in the northbound lane when he collided with Foster’s pickup. Alvarez was taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries.

At the hospital, Alvarez said he had one beer to calm his nerves because he’d never driven in snow before, according to court documents.

Two days after the accident, while doing a post-crash investigation of Alvarez’s truck, a trooper found three marijuana joints weighing 2.6 grams.

This story was published on August 27, 2024.