In Monroe County Court Tuesday, a judge sentenced Maxwell Ward to at least 4 years in state prison for a fatal hit-and-run crash in Webster last summer.

Ward was sentenced to 4-12 years in prison for driving a vehicle that hit four people on Empire Boulevard on June 20, 2020, then leaving the scene.

Oksana Zakharchyshyn died in the crash. Three others – 22-year-old Mariana Zakharchyshyn, 15-year-old Oleksandra Zakharchyshyn, and 3-year-old Maksym Tsybrii – were hurt.

Tsybrii was riding in a stroller at the time of the crash.

Prosecutors said Ward was smoking cigars while accelerating and reached for a cell phone, all while negotiating a curve. He is accused of briefly applying the brakes before taking off from the scene.

Ward then hid the vehicle, before eventually turning himself over to police a few hours later.

In court Tuesday, Ward pleaded guilty to all six counts against him – including the most serious second-degree manslaughter charge. He read an emotional apology to the family in court.