A Ventura County woman was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison for gross vehicular manslaughter in a high-speed Highway 101 crash in Montecito that killed a man. 

Ricki Newton, 24, of Oxnard pleaded guilty to the charge in November and was sentenced this week by Judge Von Deroian of Santa Barbara County Superior Court. 

At about 3 a.m. on Aug. 13, 2023, Newton was driving south on Highway 101 at about 113 mph, allegedly attempting to race a friend, according to the District Attorney’s Office. 

Near Olive Mill Road in Montecito, Newton attempted to pass a Mercury Mountaineer and lost control, colliding with the other vehicle and forcing it off the roadway and down an embankment. 

The passenger of the Mountaineer — 77-year-old Louis Hernandez of Santa Paula — was ejected and died at the scene. The driver suffered moderate injuries in the crash. 

Newton and two passengers in her vehicle had minor injuries, according to the California Highway Patrol, which investigated the collision.  

“At sentencing, family members spoke of Hernandez as a loving son, father, uncle, and dedicated, hardworking man who made a better life for his family,” the District Attorney’s Office said in a statement about the hearing. 

“This is a reminder that a brief bad decision involving reckless driving can have tragic and life-altering consequences,” District Attorney John Savrnoch said in a statement.

Newton is being held in the Santa Barbara County Jail without bail.