Former semi-truck driver sentenced to prison after death of 22-year-old Meridian man
A former semi-truck driver was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to felony vehicular manslaughter in a crash that killed a 22-year-old Meridian man in May, the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office said.
Cecilio Camacho-Montoya, of Mexico, was sentenced to up to 15 years in prison, with more than seven years fixed before he’s eligible for parole, according to a news release from the prosecutor’s office. Camacho-Montoya was in the United States unlawfully at the time of the crash and will likely be deported after his sentencing is complete, the news release said.
Ada County District Court Judge Steven Hippler also suspended the 34-year-old’s license for the rest of his life.
On May 19, 2021, Camacho-Montoya was driving under the influence of alcohol — at nearly 5.5 times the legal limit for a commercial vehicle driver — when his Freightliner semi-truck drove through a red light at high speed, colliding with Connor Holcomb’s Ford pickup truck near Eagle, according to the release. Holcomb died later that day from the injuries sustained in the crash.
The crash occurred at the intersection of Idaho 55 and Idaho 44.
Camacho-Montoya failed multiple field sobriety tests at the scene of the crash and registered a blood alcohol content of 0.222 and 0.214. The legal limit for a commercial vehicle driver is 0.04, according to the release. He was arrested at the scene and charged with felony vehicular manslaughter, which he pleaded guilty to in November.
“I express my deepest condolences to Connor’s family, and I appreciate their strength during this case,” Ada County Prosecutor Jan Bennetts said in the release. “Thank you to the Ada County Sheriff’s Office for their thorough investigation in this crash.”
This story was originally published March 18, 2022 at 10:17 AM.
