BY DARRELL HALEN

A Derry woman was sentenced to prison for causing the drunk-driving crash that claimed the life of a Windham man last year.

Janice Upton, 43, pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge in Rockingham County Superior Court. Judge Tina Nadeau sentenced Upton, of 4 Towne Drive, Derry, to a sentence of 10 to 20 years.

According to Rockingham County attorney Jim Reams, Upton fled from a Sandown police officer who tried to stop her for erratic driving and has speeding on Route 111 when she struck a car in Hampstead.

The July 30, 2006, crash caused the death of Charles Jaynes and injured his wife, Gertrude.

Drivers traveling on Route 111 were forced to evade Upton’s vehicle prior to the crash, according to Reams.

“The purpose of sentences like this is to deter drunk driving by sending a message that society will not tolerate this wanton behavior,” Reams said in a statement. “Sentences like this combined with sobriety checkpoints, coordinated traffic enforcement and other law enforcement initiatives are helping to decrease highway deaths.”