A man received a sentence in late February to two years of probation and a year of jail time with work release for seriously injuring one person during a DUI crash in February 2023.

Pheonix Karl Kirkman, 20, was initially charged with vehicular assault — DUI; vehicular assault — reckless; and reckless endangerment.

However, on Dec. 6, Kirkman pleaded guilty to vehicular assault — DUI. Upon entering the plea, the remaining charges were dismissed.

According to Boulder County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Shannon Carbone, Kirkman was sentenced Feb. 28 to two years of probation and a year of work release.

Stipulations of his sentence include 120 days of community service, no drugs unless prescribed, no alcohol, no marijuana, level II DUI treatment, no driving without a valid license or insurance and a MADD Victim Impact Panel.

Kirkman will be required to remain in custody at the jail except when allowed out for work assignments during the day, according to Carbone.

“This conduct was incredibly serious,” Carbone said. “So his guilty plea to the highest charge and the felony conviction on his record is certainly appropriate. After carefully considering the aggravating and mitigating factors, including the victim’s input and (Kirkman’s) difficult upbringing, the court’s pre-sentence investigation report recommended a sentence of probation with work release.”

According to an affidavit, around 5:05 a.m. on Feb. 5, 2023, two people were injured in a crash near South 66th Street and Marshall Road in unincorporated Boulder County. The crash involved one vehicle, and three occupants were brought to the hospital after the collision. One of the passengers sustained serious bodily injuries including rib fractures, pulmonary contusions, a scapular fracture and a splenic laceration. The other occupant of the vehicle sustained minor injuries.

Kirkman was driving his 2006 Subaru Impreza north on 66th Street when he failed to maintain control over the vehicle as it traveled over the crest of the road, according to the affidavit.

In the hospital, one of the injured passengers told troopers that he and the other passenger went for a drive because Kirkman wanted to show them a “hangout” spot. The passenger estimated that Kirkman was driving around 110 mph near the crash site.

The passenger also told troopers that despite asking Kirkman to slow down, he refused and ran off the right side of the roadway. According to the affidavit, the passenger stated that when Kirkman lost control of the Subaru, they rolled over four times.

His blood alcohol content was later determined to be 0.231, more than twice the legal limit, according to the affidavit.

“Driving under the influence continues to be a community safety risk, so the plea to the top charge and the felony conviction are justified,” Carbone said. “It is our hope that, through his one year in custody for work release as well as his full compliance with the terms of probation, (Kirkman) will continue to accept responsibility for his actions in this case.”

Kirkman has a previous DUI conviction in 2023 out of Boulder County.