Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Flaherty, Jr. announces that 26-year-old Sarah Skotnicki of Depew has been sentenced to 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison by Justice John Michalski in State Supreme Court.  The defendant will also have her driver’s license suspended for a year after her prison term. 

On March 7, 2016, Skotnicki pleaded guilty to Criminally Negligent Homicide in connection with a fatal accident. 

On September 9, 2015 at 11:29 a.m., Skotnicki was driving on French Road in the Village of Depew when her pickup crossed the double yellow line and struck head-on a vehicle driven by 72-year old Carol Dion of Depew, killing her. 

Skotnicki, seen driving erratically before the crash, was going in excess of 72 miles an hour in a 30 mile per hour zone when her pickup slammed into Dion’s car.  At the time of the collision, Skotnicki was under the influence of difloroethane, a chemical found in Endust, an electronics cleaner that she used in a process called “huffing”, the inhaling of volatile substances to get high.  The product was stolen from the Target on Walden Avenue prior to the crash. 

24-year old Katrina Dion of Depew, Dion’s granddaughter, was a passenger in the car and was injured.  

Acting DA Flaherty credits the investigative work of Detective Todd Pyc of the Depew Police Department. 

Assistant District Attorney Lauren Nash prosecuted the case.