YOUNGSTOWN — Chael T. Soto, 39, of Plazaview Court in Youngstown, was sentenced to two years in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty in December to felony aggravated vehicular assault and misdemeanor drunken driving for a 3 a.m. Jan. 25, 2025, Coitsville Township crash that injured his girlfriend, who was his passenger.

The aggravated vehicular assault is a third-degree felony.

But before Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge Anthony Donofrio announced the sentence, the judge, Soto’s attorney, Lou DeFabio, and the woman discussed the facts of the case.

Soto’s girlfriend said she has diabetes and medical problems not related to the accident, and Soto, her boyfriend of five years, usually helps her with those issues. She suffered a broken leg, but “I’m OK,” she said.

“I know he needs to go to prison, but usually he helps me,” she said.

“They said you were in critical condition is what I read in the report,” Donofrio said. The woman was having trouble understanding some of what the judge said, so Donofrio asked Mahoning County Assistant Prosecutor Kyle Hilles if he could discuss what injuries the woman suffered.

Hilles confirmed that the police said the woman suffered a broken femur and hit her head on the windshield. “As you stated, she was in critical condition,” Hilles said, adding that the woman was “yelling in pain.”

Donofrio said, “What you are saying is he helps you pay bills and that sort of thing, but you understand that there is a mandatory prison sentence with this offense. So I am obligated to sentence him to prison. Do you understand?” Donofrio asked the woman.

She said she understood.

DeFabio said the night of the accident, Soto and the woman were drinking. Soto “happened to be the one who was driving.” DeFabio said that as far as he can tell, Soto’s glaucoma affected his ability to see when a car was coming toward him, Soto swerved and went into a ditch. Soto did not have a driver’s license at the time, DeFabio agreed.

DeFabio said the woman does not want Soto to go to prison. She came to every pretrial hearing. He said Soto’s position is that he made a mistake and “I hurt the one person I truly love. I’ve done everything in my power to try to make that better. I’ve taken care of her. I’ve helped pay the bills. I took her to her doctor’s appointments. I took her to her surgery. I give her her treatments.”

DeFabio said, “So many times we look at what the victim wants. And in this case, clearly the victim doesn’t want him to go to prison.” He noted that Soto has a criminal record and poor driving record, but no previous OVIs.

Donofrio read from a long list of Soto’s previous convictions, especially noting his 2014 “conspiracy to distribute heroin.”

DeFabio said he thinks nine months or a year would be an appropriate sentence for Soto, who spent 122 days in the Mahoning County jail awaiting trial.

DeFabio asked Donofrio to look at Soto’s behavior since the accident and asked “Do you really think he is going to get behind the wheel of a car again driving drunk?”

“I don’t know that I can predict the future, whether he’s going to do it or not do it,” Donofrio said.

Soto did not offer any comments on his own behalf.

Then Donofrio mentioned that Soto violated his probation on the federal drugs offense twice and listed offenses in Soto’s past, such as driving without a license multiple times, illegal license plates multiple times, a fictitious vehicle registration, no child restraints in a vehicle, failure to maintain assured clear distance, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, unsafe vehicle, multiple speeding offenses and loud music.

Donofrio read remarks Soto made when he was interviewed for a presentence investigation of his personal history, in which Soto said he just “wants a chance to do better.”

Doniofrio said, “Well, he should have thought about that 17 years ago when you had your first child. That’s when you think about caring for those kids.”

Soto now has a 2-year-old child, Donofrio noted. “What type of message do you think this sends to those children?” Donofrio asked.

He gave Soto a two-year driver’s license suspension for the OVI offense to be served after Soto leaves prison. He also sentenced Soto to 180 days in the Mahoning County jail with 177 suspended for the OVI, and ordered Sota to pay a $375 fine. Soto got credit for the 122 days already spent in the county jail toward his prison sentence.

Donofrio said he understands that the victim did not want Soto to go to prison, but the sentencing guidelines he must follow suggest that a two-year year prison sentence is appropriate.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol crash report stated that Soto was traveling south on state Route 616 in Coitsville Township in a Ford 150 pickup truck when he drove off of the left side of the road and into a ditch before coming to rest after striking a culvert and a mailbox at the end of the ditch. He and the woman, 29, suffered serious injuries.