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Ex-student sentenced to 60 months in teacher's death  

Cellestine pleads guilty in death of Patterson
Jump to full article: Vancouver (WA) Columbian, 2010-01-22
Author: Columbian Staff Reports

Intro:

In what’s believed to be Washington’s first vehicular homicide conviction due to text-messaging, Cellestine was sentenced to 60 months in prison. Phone records indicate Cellestine was texting his girlfriend at the time his car hit and killed the Hudson’s Bay High School teacher.

Cellestine, a former student of Patterson’s, wasn’t drunk or high on drugs. But in the eyes of Clark County Superior Court Judge Roger Bennett, it didn’t matter. . . .

Cellestine first made up a story to police about smoking a cigar while driving and brought it up again in court Friday. But police say they found no evidence he was smoking.

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