GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Duluth police officer Ricky Porter’s family and his fellow officers have waited a long time for justice to be served.
But Porter’s wife, Kivion Porter told Channel 2′s Matt Johnson this crash has shattered their family and Porter’s recovery is still a battle.
Kivion Porter has cared for her husband ever since the day police said a drunken driver crashed into him on duty.
On Tuesday, she was in the room as that driver pleaded guilty to causing the devastating crash.
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“My husband says to keep me and his children in their prayers and continue to pray for my husband,” Kivion Porter told Channel 2 Action News.
Video from Aug, 7, 2021, shows a pickup truck run a red light and crash into Porter’s police vehicle. It happened at Peachtree Industrial Boulevard near Abbotts Bridge Road at around 4:20 a.m.
After the crash, police said 32-year-old Eduardo Gutierrez left the scene.
Porter has significant brain injuries and to this day stays at a facility for treatment, which means less time with his wife and two children.
“The last 15 years of his life, he cannot remember,” Kivion Porter said.
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Gutierrez walked away from the crash without any injuries and was caught by police later that morning.
“If only he had stayed and got my husband help,” Kivion Porter told Channel 2 Action News.
The judge sentenced Gutierrez to 20 years in prison and he is ordered to serve at least 10 years.
Porter’s wife said the support from the Duluth Police Department and the community has been a light during the darkest of days.
“They’ve been with us from day one and without them I don’t know where I would be,” she said.
Gutierrez also faces deportation because he was in the country illegally.
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