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Military veteran sentenced for fatal DUI crash

Posted at 12:16 PM, Jul 21, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-21 15:18:24-04

EL CAJON, Calif. (KGTV) - A military veteran was sentenced Friday for driving drunk with his two children in his vehicle and causing a crash that killed a female motorist last September.

Paul Schenk was given a six-year prison term for the deadly DUI crash that killed 21-year-old Rachael Callahan on a Ramona highway. He's already served a little over 300 days.

On Sept. 12, Schenk was driving his truck on Vista Ramona Road when he collided head-on with Callahan's car. Callahan died at the scene, and the impact of the crash was so strong it sent one of Schenk's children -- who was unrestrained -- through the back windshield of his truck and into the bed.

Schenk's children survived the wreck.

Schenk, a 51-year-old veteran who has struggled with alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder, said he tried to get help but was unable to do so. He pleaded guilty last month to DUI charges.