A 28-year-old man with a troubling driving record who was drunk when he crashed his pickup into a car, killing two people, will serve about 2½ years in prison.

Benjamin L. Tate, 28, of Paynesville, Minn., was sentenced this week in Meeker County District Court in connection with the Aug. 25 collision that killed driver Travis J. Monson, 19, of Watkins, Minn., and Zachary R. Rohrbeck, 16, also of Watkins. Another passenger survived.

Tate pleaded guilty in June to two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and one count of criminal vehicular operation.

He was sentenced to a term of slightly less than five years, with credit given for nearly a year in jail since his arrest to just under four years. He'll serve two-thirds of the remaining, slightly more than 2½ years, in prison and the balance on supervised release.

Tate was heading south on Hwy. 24 at 277th Street near Litchfield about 11:30 p.m., when his pickup crossed the centerline and hit the northbound car, authorities said. A preliminary breath test measured his blood alcohol content above 0.08 percent, the legal limit for driving in Minnesota.

Tate has numerous convictions on his driving record in Minnesota, including one for drunken driving when he was 19, and two for speeding, two for driving after his license was revoked and four for seat belt violations. He also has several convictions for underage liquor offenses.

Paul Walsh