Prison Sentence for O.C. Driver

A former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy was sentenced Wednesday to four years in prison for an alcohol-related car crash in Costa Mesa that killed his best friend.

Phil Steyerman, 31, of Ladera Ranch pleaded guilty in May to vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

He was driving with a blood-alcohol level of about .17 -- twice the legal limit -- on Jan. 12, 2003, when he lost control of his car and slammed into a tree at Newport Boulevard and Industrial Way, said Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. Camille Hill. The crash killed passenger David W. Robison, 28, of Rancho Santa Margarita, officials said.

Prosecutors said a witness reported that Steyerman had been driving at 120 mph before the crash. He swerved to avoid two cars, they said, and hit a tree at about 80 mph. Robison died at the scene; Steyerman was treated for a broken collarbone and concussion.

His attorney, Ron Brower, said in court that Steyerman attended Alcoholic Anonymous meetings daily, finished a Probation Department-approved alcohol program and has counseled others.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Patrick Donahue, while acknowledging that Steyerman had seriously abused alcohol, said he didn’t sentence him to the maximum six-year term because he lacked a prior record. Steyerman was ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution and begin his prison term Feb. 3.