Fayetteville woman sentenced in soldier's hit-and-run death

Sarah Ashley Rogers, 22, pleaded guilty in federal court in September to involuntary manslaughter and driving while impaired in the Dec. 8, 2012, death of Pfc. Richard B. Powell. Senior U.S. District Judge Earl Britt also ordered her to pay almost $1.4 million in restitution.

Powell, 20, of Mobile, Ala., was walking along Bragg Boulevard on post when he was struck and killed near Guber Road. Authorities said he was returning to his barracks after a trip to a convenience store when he was hit.

Prosecutors said Rogers was stopped at a DWI checkpoint on post, where she registered a blood-alcohol content of 0.25, more than three times the level at which drivers are considered impaired in North Carolina.

Officers noticed extensive front-end damage to her car, and she told them she might have hit something. Officers then found Powell's body about 1.4 miles away.

Investigators determined that Rogers was driving 75 mph in a 50-mph zone and never used her brakes or swerved to avoid hitting Powell. He was hit in a well-lit area and had been wearing a jacket with a reflective strip on it, authorities said.

Powell was assigned to the 101st Chemical Company of the 82nd Sustainment Brigade.