A Tulare County Sheriffís Deputy was sentenced to 90 days in jail last week after pleading no contest to three counts of vehicular manslaughter.

Joseph Armstrong, 28, of Exeter entered the plea on May 20 and was sentenced by Tulare County Superior Court Judge Walter Gorelick on July 1.

Armstrong, was driving his 2002 Chevy Silverado on his way to work on Sept. 22 when he failed to stop at the intersection of Road 172 and Avenue 336 near Ivanhoe and collided with an SUV just after 4 p.m.

Armstrongís pick-up broadsided a 2002 Ford Expedition driven by Tanya Rader, 26, of Visalia. The impact caused both vehicles to spin out of control and both collided with an orange tree. The accident killed Raderís three children: Kylie, 5, Hunter, 3, and Austin, 1.

Rader and all three of her children were wearing proper safety restraints. Armstrong, an off-duty deputy with the Tulare County Sheriffís Department, was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from his pickup and landed in an orange tree.

Armstrong and Rader both had major injuries and were airlifted to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno. Rader was released from the hospital a few days later. Armstrong remained in the hospital several weeks. Both vehicles were traveling within the speed limit of 55 mph, according to the report, according to the California Highway Patrol.

In addition to 90 days in jail, Armstrong was also sentenced to 36 months probation.

The crash was the second fatal collision at the intersection this year. Three adults and a child from Woodlake were killed in a wreck Feb. 13.

Valerie Gonzalez, 23, Jesus Zepeda, 22, Carol Lupcio, 44, and Alicia Gonzalez, 3, were all pronounced dead at the scene following the accident at Avenue 336 and Road 172 east of Ivanhoe. All four were in a 1993 Mercury Tracer driven by Gonzalez.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the accident occurred at about 8 a.m. when the Mercury, traveling westbound on Avenue 336, either failed to stop at the stop sign at the intersection of Road 172 or stopped and proceeded into the path of a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 traveling southbound on Road 172 at about 55 mph and did not have a stop sign.

The Dodge broadsided the Mercury on the passenger side, which sent both vehicles careening toward the southwest corner of the intersection and into an orange grove. Both vehicles came to rest on their wheels. The right front passenger and the child were not using safety equipment and were ejected. The driver remained inside the car but was also not wearing a seat belt.

The driver of the Dodge, Randy Castro, 44, of Woodlake sustained no visible injuries but was shaken up. He was transported to Kaweah Delta Hospital for observation.

The intersection is a two-way stop where eastbound and westbound traffic on Avenue 336 is controlled by stop signs.

The two collisions prompted Tulare Countyís Resource Management Agency to compile an accident report on the intersection and eventually the Board of Supervisors approved RMAís recommendation to add stop signs to northbound and southbound traffic on Road 172. Trees along Road 172 were also trimmed back to improve visibility, which was considered to be a factor in both accidents.

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