ST. CLOUD -- The driver of a Hummer that struck and killed a motorist near Opole in August of 2009 has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The sentencing of 44-year-old Eugene Rivetts ends a 2-and-a-half year saga as to who was the driver of the Hummer. Rivetts' passenger Timothy Rausch initially told investigators he was driving when the Hummer slammed into 19-year-old Ryan DeZurik's Toyota Corolla at 95 miles-an-hour. But, forensics later determined it was Rivetts' DNA on the driver's side of the vehicle, meaning Rivetts was behind the wheel.

Last August Rivetts' pleaded guilty and admitted he had been drinking throughout the day. But, his blood-alcohol level was never measured because he said he wasn't driving.

A few months later, Rivetts withdrew his guilty plea and took his case to trial.

In March, a Stearns County jury found Rivetts guilty on two counts of Criminal Vehicular Homicide. Rivetts will serve eight years behind bars and two more years on supervised release.

The judge has not yet decided on restitution to the DeZurik family.

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