MT. VERNON —- The man who crashed a van into Mt. Vernon’s Garden Glen Apartments in March 2016 was sentenced in Jefferson County Court on Friday.

31-year-old James K. Scroggins received the maximum sentence of three years in prison for the drunk driving crash on March 22. Scroggins had pleaded guilty in September to charges of aggravated driving under the influence which is a class four felony.

Scroggins had previously appeared in court on November 1 and was found to be in contempt after it was discovered he was drunk. This and three victim impact statements factored into Judge Jerry Crisel’s decision.

Scroggins was also fined $10,000 plus court costs and sentenced to one year of mandatory supervised release. Scroggins could serve half his prison sentence with good behavior and will also receive credit for the roughly half of a year he already served in jail prior to the November 1 finding.

Another hearing is scheduled for February 28, when it will be possible for a restitution hearing date to be set.

The incident resulted in a fire and explosion that displaced thirty-one residents and injured one firefighter.