RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A driver who was charged in connection to a crash that killed a Knightdale officer was sentenced to prison on Friday, according to court records.

Friday morning, a judge sentenced 43-year-old Dedric Romero Privette to 23 years in prison for the second-degree murder of 23-year-old Knightdale Officer Ryan Hayworth. The sentencing also included a felony death by vehicle charge.

The crash happened in the early morning hours of Oct. 17, 2021, when Officer Hayworth and other officers were responding to a single-vehicle crash on I-540 near Knightdale.

While they were at the scene, officers said they were hit from behind by a black 2011 Mercedes Benz S550 that was speeding at about 80 mph.

They said they identified the driver as Privette, and found that he was driving while drunk and high on cocaine.

According to investigators, a tequila bottle was found in Privette’s vehicle. Prosecutors also noted he admitted to partying in Wake Forest before the crash.

Officer Hayworth, a three-month veteran of the Knightdale force and member of the United States Army, was killed in the collision, Police Chief Lawrence Capps said.

Hayworth’s training officer, Cody Hagler, was also seriously injured in the incident and survived, but was treated for life-threatening injuries. A GoFundMe was established to assist Hagler and his wife.