Drunken Driver Convicted In Teen's Fatal Homecoming Crash

ST. IGNACE (AP) - A drunken driver has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of an Upper Peninsula teenager who was killed after playing in his school's football game and attending the homecoming dance.

Mitchell Snyder was a senior at LaSalle High School in St. Ignace. He was on his way home from a dance a year ago when he was killed in a head-on crash. Darrell Lovegrove's blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.

The 41-year-old Lovegrove was convicted of two crimes Thursday, including involuntary manslaughter. The trial was held in Charlevoix.

The victim's family felt second-degree murder was appropriate, but the jury disagreed.

Defense lawyer Michael Hackett says the fatal crash was "tragic" and "terrible" but not murder. Lovegrove will get his sentence on Nov. 11.