Thursday, February 5, 2026 |
Photo – Memorial bench to Tyeler Harris – Bigfoot99 file photo
A truck driver, born in Haiti, who was found guilty in September on charges of aggravated vehicular homicide of an emergency medical technician from Saratoga was sentenced last Friday to up to 14-years in prison for his actions on Dec. 21, 2022.
Saviol Saint Jean, 46, was sentenced by Sweetwater County Third District Court Judge Richard Lavery on Friday morning during an emotional hearing. The foreign-born truck driver also received a 9- to 10-year prison sentence for aggravated assault, to be served concurrently with the vehicular homicide charge.
The court credited the defendant for 631 days of time served, and was ordered to pay other courts fees, including a $500 public defender fee.
Determined he is unable to pay; Saint Jean was not ordered to pay restitution.
Following Friday’s proceedings, Rawlins EMT Tiffany Gruetzmacher, who was seriously injured in the December 2022 crash, offered an emotional statement about the sentencing.
Between tears, Gruetzmacher said she felt the sentence was fair. She added that her heart “still breaks.”
Gruetzmacher said her fellow EMT, Tyeler Harris, was killed and Gruetzmacher was seriously injured when Saint Jean plowed into their ambulance as they responded to an earlier crash in wintry conditions on Interstate 80 in Sweetwater County.
The EMTs from Memorial Hospital in Rawlins responded to the scene. They had just exited their emergency vehicle when Saint Jean sped into the scene, striking Gruetzmacher and Harris.
