PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — A woman will serve a three-year active prison sentence for a crash in March 2021 that left a man dead and his wife permanently disabled.
Ciara Elliott, 29, was sentenced Tuesday in Portsmouth Circuit Court to 10 years with seven suspended on a charge of involuntary vehicular manslaughter. She pleaded guilty to the charge in February.
Elliott was fleeing police on March 13, 2021 in Portsmouth when she ran a red light on California Avenue and crashed into a car with 35-year-old Calvin Majette III and Temika Pleas inside.
Majette died instantly. Pleas was seriously injured.
The chase reached speeds up to 90 mph through Portsmouth city streets.
Police were pursuing Elliott on charges of fraud, forgery, and driving with a suspended license.
In March, the City of Portsmouth settled a wrongful death case for $11 million in connection with the 2021 police pursuit. Pleas’ attorneys said the pursuing officer violated “principles of proper police conduct” by engaging in the chase in the high-traffic area, and that Elliott did not pose a threat until the chase began.
Pleas will use the settlement to pay for ongoing medical treatments and care for her children.