A 21-year-old Dartmouth man was sentenced to serve five to seven years in state prison after pleading guilty this week to charges connected to a November 2015 drunk driving crash that resulted in the death of a passenger, said District Attorney Thomas Quinn III.

Cameron Silva pleaded guilty to charges of OUI-Masnlaughter and being a minor in possession of alcohol on August 22.

On November 21, 2015 at 11:18 p.m., a passerby placed a 911 call regarding a white 2005 Ford Focus located in a wooded area off Copicut Road in Fall River, said police. The 21-year-old passenger was determined deceased at the scene, and identified as Jeffrey DeSousa. DeSousa was seat-belted into the passenger seat, according to police reports.

The driver was identified as Cameron Silva. The first officer on the scene reported that he detected a very strong odor of a stale alcoholic beverage that seemed to be emanating from the back seat.

Silva was released from the vehicle by rescue personnel and transported by Med Flight to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence. Medical records from the hospital show that that the defendant’s blood alcohol level was .19, more than twice the legal limit.

A subsequent police investigation revealed that Silva, DeSousa, and another friend were consuming beers earlier in the afternoon. The three then went to Gumbo’s in Dartmouth where they consumed mixed hard liquor drinks.

According to investigators, the young men exited the restaurant. The friend who was with Silva and DeSousa attempted to drive after Silva lost his balance and fell over, but Silva refused to let him. The friend stated that he was concerned about Silva’s driving when they left Gumbo’s, but he was dropped off at home before the crash.

Accident reconstruction conducted by Fall River Police showed that the driver of the vehicle lost control while traveling 80 MPH. Copicut Road is a posted 30 MPH with no streetlights.