LIHU‘E — A Lawa‘i man will serve 10 years in prison after causing a Christmas Eve 2020 car crash that killed two people and injured two others.
Sandon Igne, 33, appeared in Lihu‘e Circuit Court on Monday for his sentencing after pleading no contest in late November 2022 to two counts of negligent homicide, two counts of negligent injury, and one count of inattention to driving.
While Judge Catherine Remigio handed Igne a total sentencing of 22 years and six months — 10 years for each negligent homicide charge, one year for each negligent injury charge, and six months for inattention to driving — Igne will serve these terms concurrently.
“Mr. Igne, you are a good person — many people here have attested to that,” Remigio said. “But you have to pay a price for your actions.”
According to court and police documents, Igne drove a Toyota pickup truck southbound down Kaumuali‘i Highway on Dec. 24, 2020, after drinking at Rob’s Good Times Grill in Lihu‘e. Near Knudsen Gap, he veered onto the shoulder and swerved back perpendicular to the road, crossing the center line and colliding with an oncoming Nissan sedan.
The sedan, operated by 19-year-old Raiden Pagatpatan, was carrying three passengers — including 49-year-old Hanama‘ulu resident Eugenia Villanueva and 71-year-old Ele‘ele man Delfin Geronimo, both of whom died as a result of injuries from the crash. Pagatpatan and the other passenger, Jenny Villanueva, both suffered nonfatal injuries.
According to the Kaua‘i Police Department accident report, Igne had a blood-alcohol level of 0.133 percent, higher than the state legal limit of 0.08 percent. Igne also tested positive for the presence of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis.
Prosecutors reported that Igne had no adult criminal record at the time.
While originally facing a maximum of 42 years and six months in prison, Igne took a plea deal in late November that dropped several charges against him, including two counts of manslaughter — Class A felonies that carry maximum penalties of 10 years in prison.
The court gallery was filled on Monday with members of Igne’s family on one side and families of the crash victims on the other.
“There are no winners here,” Remigio said. “It’s a sad day for the families of the victims and of Mr. Igne.”
Igne also faces a maximum fine of $55,000. A restitution hearing in the case is set for Aug. 28.
The crash also spawned a separate civil suit requesting damages from both Igne and Nissan.
Filed in September 2022 by the family of the crash victims, the suit describes Igne’s actions as “negligent, grossly negligent, careless, reckless and wanton,” while also alleging a lack of safety features in the backseats of the Nissan sedan contributed to Geronimo and Villanueva’s deaths.
The case is ongoing, with a tentative jury trial date of Aug. 5, 2024.
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Jackson Healy, reporter, can be reached at 808-647-4966 or jhealy@thegardenisland.com.
Source: The Garden Island
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