NEWS

Fish hatchery tanker truck driver in 2014 crash found guilty

Associated Press
The wreckage of a hatchery truck at the accident scene on Dec. 30 east of Springfield.

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A driver for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife who crashed a tanker truck carrying thousands of juvenile salmon has been found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol.

The Register-Guard reports that 45-year-old Ray C. Lewis, of Umpqua, was found guilty on DUI and other charges Jan. 15. He has been sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay $375,000 in restitution and cleanup costs in connection with the 2014 crash.

Lewis had been carrying fish from a failing hatchery to safer waters when he crashed on the McKenzie Highway, killing 11,000 Chinook salmon smolts.

Lewis is appealing his conviction. He says he had alcohol in his system because he has auto-brewery syndrome, in which his body converts food into alcohol.