MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) – A man who admitted to hitting and killing a North Carolina student in a Myrtle Beach crash last year will not serve jail time.
A spokesperson for the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office confirmed to WMBF News that Jason Sauro pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and battery. A judge then sentenced him to 10 years in prison, suspended to five years probation.
Sauro was initially charged with hit and run resulting in death in connection to a 2023 crash on Highway 17 Bypass that killed 21-year-old Jackson Yelle, who was a student at Elon University.
Documents obtained by WMBF News at the time state Sauro admitted to driving the car that hit Yelle, but thought he hit a deer. Yelle was reportedly trying to cross Highway 17 Bypass on foot when he was struck.
Officials at Elon said Yelle was in Myrtle Beach as part of a weekend trip with the school’s club baseball team.
As part of Sauro’s sentence, a judge also ordered him to random drug and alcohol testing along with other requirements set by the South Carolina Department of Probation. Failure to follow those conditions could result in a 10-year prison sentence.
The spokesperson from the solicitor’s office also said Sauro entered his plea without a recommendation from the state.
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