Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin today announced that Johnny Sak (age 25), of Providence pleaded guilty to the December 8, 2015 motor vehicle crash that killed 22-year old Alexandra Patten Parenteau. Sak pleaded guilty to DUI death resulting and driving to endanger resulting in death. In addition, Sak pleaded guilty to a firearms charge in a separate case and admitted to being in violation of his probation from a 2011 case. The proceeding took place this morning in Providence County Superior Court before Justice Robert D. Krause.
Under the terms of the plea, Sak was sentenced to a total of 30 years with 20 years to serve followed by 10 years suspended with probation. Specifically, Sak was sentenced to the maximum penalty of 15 years to serve for the DUI death resulting and 10 years suspended with probation for the reckless driving resulting in death. In addition, Justice Krause imposed an eight-year loss of license upon release from the ACI.
Sak was also sentenced to two years, to run consecutive to the DUI death resulting, for a December 2014 incident in which Sak was found in possession of a Sig Sauer 1911 BB gun after he led police on a high-speed chase in Woonsocket. Sak, who was out on probation at the time of the police chase and DUI, was sentenced to three years to serve, to run consecutive, in violation of his probation.
Had the case proceeded to trial, the State was prepared to prove that on December 8, 2015, the Woonsocket Police and rescue personnel responded to a single vehicle crash on Mendon Road, in which a 1994 Saturn was embedded into a telephone pole. Sak, the driver of the motor vehicle, Patten-Parenteau, the passenger, and three individuals in the backseat had to be extricated from the motor vehicle. Patten-Pareneau was taken to Landmark Medical Center where she succumbed to her injuries. The other passengers suffered non-life threatening injuries.
Through bloodwork taken at the hospital, it was extrapolated that the defendant's BAC was approxiamately.160 at the time of the crash. Tests also showed the presence of cocaine in the defendant's system.
At the time of her death, Patten-Parenteau was a new mother of a 16-week-old daughter named Azariah.
"Another tragic story of a child who will grow up without a mother, who was killed at the hands of a drunk driver," said Attorney General Peter Kilmartin. "In this case, the defendant is the child's father. If he had cared about the well-being of his newborn daughter, he would never have gotten behind the wheel drunk and high on cocaine. His recklessness and selfishness has forever changed Azariah's life, as well as the lives of Alexandra's family and friends."
Woonsocket Police Lieutenant Thomas Calouro and Detective Jason Berthelette led the investigation and Assistant Attorney General Stephen Regine prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of Attorney General.