ALFRED – A drunken driver who killed a pedestrian in Sanford has been sentenced to nine months in jail.

George Marcoux, 38, of Springvale drove the van that hit and killed 51-year-old Ronald Levesque in January.

Marcoux, a car repairman, faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted of manslaughter in connection with Levesque’s death. Instead, prosecutors dismissed the manslaughter charge in exchange for his guilty plea to two reduced charges: reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and criminal drunken driving.

He was sentenced to three years in prison with all but nine months suspended. He probably will serve about seven months.

“I’m so sorry it happened,” Marcoux told Levesque’s relatives during a sentencing hearing Thursday in York County Superior Court.

Assistant District Attorney Jeff Moskowitz said Marcoux was driving his van at about 11:30 p.m. Jan. 14 when he turned to say something to his wife, sitting in the passenger seat. At that point, his van struck and killed Levesque.

At the time of the crash, Marcoux’s blood-alcohol level was 0.12 percent, above the state’s legal limit of 0.08 percent. Marcoux told police he had just come from a Sanford bar, The Sports Haven, where he had three drinks. Levesque’s blood-alcohol content was 0.27 percent when he was hit by the van. Authorities said he may have walked into the van’s path without realizing it.

Justice Robert Crowley said “a lack of information about the seconds leading up to the accident” would make it difficult for prosecutors to prove Marcoux was guilty of manslaughter.

But the victim’s relatives – who acknowledged that Levesque had a serious drinking problem – complained that Marcoux showed no remorse in the 19 months since the fatal accident.

“I’ve heard nothing about your being sorry,” David Demers, Levesque’s brother-in-law, told Marcoux in court. “Your attorney will tell you to say you’re sorry, but I don’t accept your apology.”

The victim’s sisters, Jackie Demers and Shirley Demers, said it was ironic that their brother, who feared his drinking problem would end up killing someone, should die at the hands of a drunken driver.