GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A man has pleaded guilty in a chase and crash that killed a Georgia State trooper on Interstate 85 earlier this year.
Trooper Jimmy Cenescar, 28, died while working for Georgia State Patrol on Jan. 28. GSP said he was trying to stop a motorcyclist on the run on when his patrol car hit an embankment near SR 317 in Suwanee.
Police arrested and charged Gerson Danil Ayala Rodriguez in Cenescar’s death. On Wednesday, Gwinnett County Superior Court confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that Ayala-Rodriguez agreed to a plea deal.
He pleaded guilty to first-degree vehicular homicide, a felony charge, and the following misdemeanor charges: reckless driving, speeding, two counts each of driving without a license, operating a vehicle without insurance, and operating an unregistered vehicle.
“We tragically lost a young State Trooper as a result of the defendant’s reckless driving,” said Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson. “Ultimately, the defendant accepted responsibility for his actions in this, although it cannot bring back Trooper Cenescar. We hope this serves as a message to drivers and motorcyclists to drive within the safe bounds of the law.”
A Gwinnett County judge sentenced Ayala Rodriguez n Cenescar’s death to 22 years in prison with 17 to serve.
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