MUSKOGEE, Okla. (KTEN) — The Atoka man found responsible for a horrific crash that killed four Durant High School students in May 2020 was sentenced Wednesday to almost 34 years in federal prison.

Bradley Shawn Pittman, 45, pleaded guilty to four counts of Second-Degree Murder in Indian Country in December 2020.

The sentencing follows an investigation of the crash by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Durant Police Department, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the Texas Highway Patrol and the FBI.

Pittman admitted that he was driving his pickup truck at speeds in excess of 70 mph on Main Street in Durant when he crashed into the back of another vehicle stopped at a traffic light on May 24, 2020.

Tests showed that Pittman's blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit. He had been convicted of DUI on three previous occasions and was driving with a suspended or revoked license.

Durant students Kaleb Foster, Fernando Flores, Jack Sarver and Hunter Ford died in the wreckage.

"Four teenagers were stolen from their families with one reckless decision that has had a devastating and rippling impact on the Durant community,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray in a written statement. “Let this sentence serve as a reminder of the grave and irrevocable consequences of driving under the influence, so that no other family will have to endure such tremendous loss.”

Pittman was sentenced to 405 months in prison on each of the murder counts; the sentences will be served concurrently.

Durant High School students (R-L) Kaleb Foster, Hunter Ford, Fernando Flores and Jack Sarver were killed in a crash at a Durant intersection.
Durant High School students (R-L) Kaleb Foster, Hunter Ford, Fernando Flores and Jack Sarver were killed in a crash at a Durant intersection. (Courtesy)

 

A memorial for four Durant High School teens who died in a crash was dedicated on March 27, 2021.
A memorial for four Durant High School teens who died in a crash was dedicated on March 27, 2021. (KTEN)