An Omaha father is facing 31 years in prison after being found guilty Tuesday on a number of charges stemming from a drunk driving incident in October that left his daughter in a vegetative state.
A Douglas County jury found 36 year old Benjamin Thompson guilty on five felony charges including Drunk Driving, three counts of Child Abuse and one count of Failure to Stop and Render Aid.
Jurors did not find him guilty of Intentional Child Abuse, which would have added an additional 34 years to Thompson's sentence.
Police say Thompson was drunk and had his three daughters in the car when he hit another vehicle at the intersection of 30th and Sorensen Parkway.
Authorities say after the crash Thompson fled to Miller Park, less than a mile away from the scene of the accident, where officers found him throwing alcohol containers into a trashcan.
Thompson's three daughters were transported to Nebraska Medicine after the crash. Eight year old Kazlynn suffered a critical brain injury that has left her in what prosecutors call a "persistent vegetative state." Six year old Aly and seventeen month old Jade were both treated for minor injuries and released.
Under Nebraska's current sentencing guidelines, Thompson could serve only half of his 31 year sentence.