SANDPOINT — A Washington state man who pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and aggravated drunken driving was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Tuesday.

William David Deardorff will have to serve at least 10 years before he’s eligible for parole, according to the terms of the sentence imposed by 1st District Judge Steve Verby.

Deardorff extended apologies to the families of his victims and said he had no excuse for getting behind the wheel while intoxicated on Dec. 3, 2008.

“There isn’t much I can say. I made some stupid mistakes and it had tragic consequences,” Deardorff said before the sentence was handed down. “Now I have to pay for it.”

Idaho State Police said Deardorff was southbound on U.S. Highway 95 and veered into the oncoming lane while rounding a curve in Careywood. Deardorff’s pickup slammed head-on into a northbound Jeep Cherokee carrying three people.

Kimberlee Rae Dingman, 44, of Sandpoint, was a front-seat passenger in the Jeep sport utility vehicle and suffered fatal injuries. The driver of the Jeep, 32-year-old Crystal Bertolucci, also of Sandpoint, was seriously injured and still bears the facial injuries she sustained in the fiery collision.

Bertolucci’s infant daughter was strapped into a safety seat in the rear of the SUV and was not critically injured.

Dingman was remembered as a caring, giving person who never held grudges or passed judgment on others. Her husband of 23 years, Gary, and one of her three sons, Christopher, submitted written statements to the court.

“The impact on our lives is huge and can not be put into words without writing a book,” Gary Dingman wrote.

Dingman’s middle son, Cody, mourned that his mother would never be able to share in any of the rites of passage in his life or his siblings — graduations, births of grandchildren and other milestones. He urged the court to impose the maximum sentence of 15 years on both counts.

“Please don’t give him the chance to do this to anyone else,” Cody, 22, said during the hearing.

Deardorff’s guilty pleas marked his fourth DUI conviction. The 54-year-old Spokane man suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and alcoholism, according to his defense attorney, Chief Deputy Public Defender Janet Whitney. She recommended concurrent five- to 15-year prison sentences with credit for the nine months he’s served while the case was pending.

“He has not tried to shirk responsibility or make excuses for himself in any way,” Whitney said.

Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor Roger Hanlon recommended a unified sentence of eight to 10 years, a 15-year post-incarceration license suspension and $316,258 in restitution with a provision for child support to Kimberlee’s teenage son, Cameron.

The hearing’s most pointed remarks came from Bertolucci, who questioned Deardorff’s remorse, his publicly funded defense and the lack of punishment for the lasting psychological scars inflicted on her daughter.

“We have to live that nightmare every single day,” said Bertolucci.

Verby was unwilling to adopt the proposed sentence recommendations.

“Your continued freedom results in a danger to society,” Verby said, referring to Deardorff’s prior criminal record, which also includes property crimes, assaults and probation violations.

Verby explained during the hearing that the five-year tail on the sentence would enable the court to supervise Deardorff via parole. If an entirely fixed sentence were imposed, Deardorff would simply be released upon serving his time.

Verby imposed the proposed restitution and a license suspension of up to 15 years.