KETCHIKAN, Alaska – A man who accidentally killed his friend when he put him in a chokehold has been sentenced to three years in prison, with two years suspended.
The Ketchikan Daily News reports (http://bit.ly/1dxS696 ) 35-year-old Steven S. Cook put Thomas Guthrie IV in a chokehold on May 28, 2012.
The two men, both of whom were intoxicated, grew up together in the southeast Alaska town. Guthrie was 32 when he died.
Guthrie's death was initially ruled a heart attack before an autopsy.
Ketchikan Superior Court Judge William Carey called the case "emotionally wrenching" before handing down the sentence for criminally negligent homicide and second-degree assault.
Cook is legally forbidden from drinking alcohol during his sentence.
Guthrie's parents say they have been sober for 20 years and hope that Cook is also able to maintain his sobriety.
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