BUFFALO, NY – The driver of a vehicle involved in a fatal crash in 2020 at McKinley Monument has been sentenced to prison.
According to Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn, 41-year-old Paul Tolbert, III of Buffalo was sentenced this morning before Erie County Court Judge James Bargnesi to an indeterminate sentence of 7 ½ to 15 years in prison.
“On Thursday, November 26, 2020, at approximately 7:30 a.m., the defendant was driving a minivan at a high-rate of speed southbound on Delaware Avenue when he crashed the vehicle into the McKinley Monument in Niagara Square in the City of Buffalo. His passenger, 34-year-old Angel Marie Cobb of Buffalo, was killed,” Flynn reported, “The defendant was taken to ECMC to be treated for various injuries. He was found to be under the influence of cocaine and fentanyl at the time of the crash.”
Flynn added, during course of the investigation, a small bag containing white powder was found in the defendant’s clothing. The substance was tested and determined to be fentanyl.
“Judge Bargnesi found Tolbert guilty of one count of Manslaughter in the Second Degree (Class “C” felony), one count of Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree (Class “D” felony), and one count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree (Class “A” misdemeanor), rendering his decision this morning following a three-day bench trial on March 10, 2022,” Flynn said in a statement.