Reckless driver sentenced to rehab center to kick drug habit

By SUSAN HERENDEEN
sherendeen@modbee.com

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A judge Wednesday sentenced a Modesto man to three years in the California Rehabilitation Center, a prison for drug addicts, so he can kick a methamphetamine habit that prompted him to cause two car crashes while speeding through Modesto, Hughson, Empire and Waterford last spring.

Scot Pringle, 36, was driving at speeds up to 90 mph, authorities said, and two children had to jump onto a nearby fence to avoid being run down.

A prosecutor urged the judge to impose a sentence of at least two years because Pringle was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs only one month before his reckless driving spree and has four misdemeanor convictions.

"We can't risk him being in our community anymore," said Deputy District Attorney Annette Rees.

A defense attorney said Pringle is ready to change. "He does have a serious drug problem, but he does recognize that and he wants to fix that," attorney Matthew Yeoman said.

Earlier this month, as opening statements were about to begin in the trial, Pringle pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of drugs, evading arrest, resisting or delaying arrest and leaving the scene of two traffic accidents.

According to court records, it began March 29, shortly before 1 p.m., when a woman who works for the Modesto Police Department saw a Chevrolet pickup crash into a car driven by one of her friends near Bowen and Sherwood avenues in Modesto. The women called 911 after the truck sped away.

A sheriff's deputy spotted the truck on Santa Fe Avenue in Hughson. Its engine was smoking and a bumper from the car he had hit was trailing behind. When the deputy tried to pull the pickup over, the driver sped toward Waterford, ignoring the deputy's lights and siren.

The truck later crashed in an empty lot at Santa Fe and Monte Vista avenues in Denair, barely missing a parked big rig.

The California Highway Patrol officer who arrested Pringle said he had followed a trail of debris, including a splintered stop sign and marks on the roadway.

Judge Timothy W. Salter handed down the maximum sentence allowed, but said Pringle should serve his time in the rehabilitation center rather than a regular prison.

"It's a miracle that no one was seriously injured or killed," he said.

Bee staff writer Susan Herendeen can be reached at sherendeen@modbee.com or 578-2338.