Man gets 15 years in federal prison for deadly DWI crash on I-40

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A man will spend 15 years in federal prison for causing a deadly crash as he was speeding down I-40 while intoxicated and on his phone.

Investigators accused 38-year-old Cody Charlie of driving intoxicated at 116 mph and using his cellphone when he crashed into another vehicle near mile marker 130 on the Laguna Pueblo. The impact caused that vehicle to roll over, killing three people in the same family.

Meanwhile, investigators accused Charlie of running away from the scene of the crash. Authorities later arrested him.

A federal judge sentenced Charlie to 15 years in prison without parole for his felony charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Once he gets out of prison, he will have five years of supervised release.

As a part of his release, he will have to participate in alcohol and substance abuse monitoring and mental health and substance abuse programs. He will also have to pay full restitution to victims, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated the case with help from the Laguna Police Department and New Mexico State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittany DuChaussee and Zachary C. Jones are prosecuting the case.

Charlie is an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo.