Drunken Driver Sentenced To Seven Years In Prison

Anthony Longo -- the man who caused a car crash in Mentor while driving drunk that sent two people to the hospital -- was sentenced to seven years in prison and had his license suspended for five years Wednesday, according to The News-Herald.

Longo, 36, of Euclid, was not only driving drunk but also texting while driving, the newspaper reported.

Longo had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated vehicular assault and one count each of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and fleeing a crash in Lake County Common Pleas Joseph Gibson's court.

On Oct. 11, 2012, Longo was driving a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt when he rear ended a 1998 Plymouth Neon. The Cobalt then went off the right side of the road.

Meanwhile, the Neon went to the left side of the road, struck the barrier and rolled onto its hood in the middle of the interstate. The two women in the car -- Chanei Cable and Shanice Scott -- got out of the car and safely to the side of the road. Then a semi truck struck their Neon again.

One of the women had several teeth knocked out during the crash; another had post-concussion syndrom and suffered a scar on her leg, Assistant Lake County Prosecutor Patrick Condon said.

After the crash, Longo got out of his car and ran away. Mentor Police later found him in the Hopkins-Hendrix neighborhood.

Judge Joseph Gibson will sentence Longo on April 10. Longo faces anywhere between one and 11 years in prison.

The women in the car Longo struck have also filed a lawsuit against him.

The lawsuit claims that they sustained "personal injury, pain, suffering, emotional anguish and loss of enjoyment of life" because of the crash.

In the suit, Scott asked for $100,000 in compensatory damages; Cable, for $150,000. They also asked for $150,000 in punitive damages to be split evenly between them, as well as costs and attorney fees.