A Tompkins County man who pleaded guilty in connection with a Schuyler County crash last fall that killed a passenger in his vehicle learned his fate in Schuyler County Court.
Michael A. Blake Jr., 19, of Ithaca, pleaded guilty in early June to a felony charge of second-degree vehicular manslaughter, along with driving while ability impaired by drugs, a misdemeanor, stemming from a Sept. 29, 2025 crash that killed 17-year-old Marcus Knight, of Trumansburg.
In Schuyler County Court on Thursday, July 30, Judge Matthew C. Hayden sentenced Blake to an indeterminate term of 2-and-a-third to seven years in state prison, the maximum allowable sentence.
Hayden also declined to grant youthful offender status to Blake, who was 18 at the time of the fatal crash.
The incident took place around 11:46 a.m. Sept. 29 on County Road No. 1 in the Town of Hector, according to the Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office.
Arriving deputies located a 2010 Ford Fusion that failed to negotiate a curve, left the roadway and struck some trees, the sheriff’s office said.
Blake, who was the driver of the vehicle, was taken by helicopter to Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse for treatment of his injuries. Knight was pronounced dead at the scene.
The evidence in the case indicated Blake, a permit-only driver, consumed marijuana and alcohol over a period of about one hour before getting in his vehicle to drive, according to Schuyler County District Attorney Jeremy Hourihan, who prosecuted the case.
Blake was operating the Fusion in excess of 90 mph prior to the crash, and the force of the impact nearly cut the vehicle in half, Hourihan said.
A chemical analysis of Blake’s blood indicated the presence of THC, the main compound in marijuana, and a blood alcohol content of .06% at the time.
As part of his plea, Blake admitted to consuming a combination of drugs and alcohol prior to the fatal collision.
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Ithaca man gets up to 7 years for plea in fatal Schuyler County crash
Reporting by Jeff Murray, Elmira Star-Gazette / Elmira Star-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jeff Murray, Elmira Star-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
