A Washington County felon found with illegal guns after causing a rollover crash on state Route 28 following a police chase has been sentenced to serve a decade in federal prison.
Derik Carothers, 29, pleaded guilty on Oct. 30 to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon before U.S. District Judge Stephanie L. Haines.
He was sentenced on Thursday.
According to court records, Carothers was driving a Ford Expedition on Route 28 in Buffalo Township around 8:45 p.m. on Oct. 20, 2019, when Pennsylvania State Police tried to pull him over.
Carothers fled, hitting more than 80 mph during the pursuit. When he attempted to take the Tarentum exit ramp, he lost control, crashing into a concrete bridge abutment and rolling the vehicle.
Inside the SUV, investigators found crack cocaine, a digital scale and four loaded guns, including two that had been stolen. Officers also found a bulletproof vest and extended magazines.
Carothers said in a court filing that the bones in his left leg were shattered and that he was hospitalized for a month afterward.
His two passengers, including a juvenile, were also injured.
Federal prosecutors, who recounted a lengthy criminal record for Carothers, asked the court to sentence him to 10 years in prison.
“It is clear that the defendant’s criminal behavior is persistent, dangerous and escalating, and repeated prison sentences have not deterred his conduct,” the U.S. attorney’s office wrote.
However, Carothers’ defense attorney requested a sentence of six years, noting that her client remained incarcerated during the difficult conditions of the covid-19 pandemic. He grew up in difficult circumstances and spent much of his adolescence and young adulthood incarcerated, the defense wrote in a court filing.
In recent years, Carothers obtained his GED and has served as a mentor at Cambria County Prison, where he has been held.
The defense also noted that Carothers faces an additional three years incarceration for a related parole violation that will run consecutive to the punishment in this case.
