A drunken driver who struck and killed a 91-year-old pedestrian in downtown Santa Barbara in 2018 was sentenced Monday to 15 years and eight months in state prison.
Nicholas Burnell Hart, 27, of Goleta previously pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated with a blood alcohol content of 0.24 percent or above; driving with a license that was suspended due to previous drunk-driving convictions; and hit and run resulting in injury or death.
Hart also waives about 26 months of custody credits.
“We appreciate the work of the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office, their efforts in prosecuting Mr. Hart’s case, and the resulting agreement, which will serve as a form of justice for the despicable events that occurred,” the victim’s family said in a news release from the District Attorney’s Office.
Hart was convicted of driving under the influence for the third time; he has cases in Santa Barbara from 2015 and 2016, according to court documents.
Hart had a suspended license from one of those cases at the time of last year’s collision, and he was on probation.
Hart killed George Theodore “Ted” Johnson, a resident of Montecito’s Casa Dorinda retirement community who had been evacuated with his wife because of the Jan. 9 debris flows.
Johnson was walking in a crosswalk at State and Micheltorena streets at about 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 23, 2018, when he was struck by a car driven by Hart, according to Santa Barbara police.
Johnson was staying a block away at the La Quinta Inn & Suites at State and Arrellaga streets.
Johnson died of his injuries on Jan. 30, 2018, and authorities also charged Hart with murder, as well as DUI-related counts.
“Mr. Hart, I hope you take this opportunity to turn your life around,” Prosecutor Benjamin Ladinig from the District Attorney’s Office said during Monday’s sentencing hearing in Judge Michael Carrozzo’s courtroom. “Candidly, alcohol should be out of your life from this day forward.
“If you don’t commit to that,” Ladinig continued, “the commitment should be you never consume alcohol behind the wheel of any vehicle… A great-grandfather, a grandfather and a father was killed as a result of your drunk driving last year… I hope you take that to heart.”
On Monday morning, Hart appeared in court wearing a blue jail uniform top and blue pants.
He was in Santa Barbara Main Jail custody with no bail as of Monday, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
“This case is another painful reminder of the extreme dangers of driving while intoxicated, which in this case resulted in a tragic loss of life,” District Attorney Joyce Dudley said in a news release.
She noted the “exemplary investigation” conducted by the Santa Barbara Police Department and Ladinig, a senior deputy district attorney.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
