A 35-year-old Point Reyes Station resident was sentenced to nine months in jail last week after he crashed while under the influence of a controlled substance on the Point Reyes-Petaluma Road in September 2013, injuring two bikers and closing the road for a day. Early on a Saturday morning around 9:10 a.m., Joseph Fechter, a painter and construction worker who helped build CLAM’s energy-efficient Blue2 rental units, tried to pass a trio of cyclists near Hicks Valley Road, sideswiped 52-year-old biker Rusk Whipps, swerved and crashed his Prius into a power pole. “I was about halfway down Red Hill [heading westbound] when I saw his car in the rearview mirror on my bike,” said Mike Ban, a Petaluma resident who works for Marin Municipal Water District. “Before I knew it, his car was flying around me. He cut right in front of me and shot off the road.” The utility pole split in two, and the live wires whipped across the road. Mr. Ban tumbled from his bike and down the asphalt, leaving abrasions “almost like my skin had been burned,” he said. He skidded to a stop just before the sparking power lines, a few feet from electrocution. Mr. Fechter was arrested when a California Highway Patrol officer noticed signs of impairment during an interview at the hospital. He pled guilty in early June to a felony charge of causing injury while driving intoxicated and a misdemeanor hit-and-run. Before the sentencing last Wednesday, Mr. Ban made a statement to the court. “It turned my life upside-down. All the time I had to devote to healing the injuries I had and dealing with the pain from the accident, plus the medical bills and the insurance companies,” Mr. Ban recounted to the Light. “I wanted him to understand the biggest horror for me was how close he came to taking my three daughters away from me, very close to killing me. I ended by saying I hope he turns his life around. I sincerely do.” In addition to jail time, Mr. Fechter will be under probation for five years, pay $4,579 in fines and fees plus restitution to the victims, complete 40 hours of community service and attend a drunk driving program.