Man gets five years probation for crash deaths of two passengers

ALLISON, Iowa (AP) — A man has been given five years of probation for the deaths of his 41-year-old brother and another man who were riding in his pickup truck when it crashed in Butler County.

Matthew DeWitt was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison, suspended, and ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution. He’d pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide-reckless driving. Prosecutors had reduced his charges in exchange.

Authorities say DeWitt’s blood showed the presence of alcohol and marijuana after the Oct. 27, 2016, crash near Clarksville. DeWitt was towing a trailer when his pickup veered off the roadway and hit a culvert.

His brother, 41-year-old Jeffrey Joe DeWitt, of Shell Rock, and 28-year-old Andrew John Baker, of Waverly, were killed. Matthew DeWitt also was injured.