MUNCIE, Ind. — A Muncie man has been sentenced after pleading guilty to causing a fatal crash, on New Year's Day 2022, in Bartholomew County.

Marcus A. Abram, 28, had pleaded guilty in February to causing death when driving while intoxicated, a Level 4 felony carrying up to 12 years in prison.

At a Thursday hearing in Columbus, the Muncie man was sentenced to eight years in prison by Bartholomew Superior Court 2 Judge Jon Rohde.

The sentence was the maximum allowed under the terms of a plea agreement. Abram will serve two years on probation after completing his prison sentence.

According to court documents, a blood test measured Abram's blood-alcohol content at 0.268 after the crash, on Interstate 65 north of Seymour. In Indiana, motorists with a BAC of 0.08 or higher are considered intoxicated.

Abram's northbound vehicle struck a car that a short time earlier had been involved in another collision. The driver, Heather A. Wallace, 40, of Indianapolis, was pronounced dead at the scene. The fatal crash was reported shortly before 1:30 a.m.

A crash reconstruction team said the Muncie man had been traveling in excess of 100 mph before hitting Wallace's vehicle. Abram was reported to be on his way home from Nashville, Tennessee, when the crash took place.

A deputy reported Abram smelled of alcohol, had bloodshot eyes and spoke with "a thick tongue."

The Muncie man declined to take a breath test to measure his level of intoxication, leading to a court order for a blood test to be taken at Columbus Regional Hospital.

He was also convicted of driving while intoxicated in Delaware County in 2018.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Muncie man gets 8 years for drunk driving leading to fatality