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Colorado man gets 20 years in prison for fatal hit-and-run

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A man who acknowledged fleeing a crash that killed a pedestrian southeast of Colorado Springs has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The Gazette reports 42-year-old Richard Bitters was sentenced Friday for the August death of 57-year-old Mario Wells.

Investigators say Wells was hit by Bitters’ pickup while walking home from a tavern in Fountain. Bitters was tracked down two days later based on a tip. He told police he was afraid of the consequences because he was serving a community corrections sentence at the time and had three prior felonies.

District Judge William Bain chose a lighter sentence partly because Bitters confessed once police found him.