San Tan Valley man sentenced to more than decade in prison for death of three passengers in vehicle

(FLORENCE, AZ) - A San Tan Valley man has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison for the death of three passengers of a vehicle he was driving that crashed while fleeing law enforcement.

On June 19th, 2023, Pinal County Superior Court Judge Robert Olson sentenced Juan Sanchez, 21, to 14 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections.

Sanchez pled guilty to three (3) counts of Manslaughter, all Class 2 Felonies.

In February 2019, deputies with the PInal County Sheriff's Office attempted to pull over Sanchez, when he accelerated to speeds in excess of 70mph. Deputies noted Sanchez was driving in a manner to overtly flee law enforcement, and at one point conducted an improper U-turn that entered a residential yard. Sanchez again accelerated to a high rate of speed onto Schnepf Road, failing to stop at the posted stop sign and failing to yield to opposing traffic. At one point the vehicle reached speeds in excess of 100mph and ultimately the driver lost control of the vehicle while driving along the dirt shoulder.The vehicle veered across the road and collided with a fixed concrete structure. Three of the occupants of the vehicle died as a result of the collision.

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