Federal Way man gets 10 years in fatal wreck

A Federal Way man admitted in Pierce County Superior Court on Friday that he was high on drugs last year when he crashed his car while trying to flee police, killing his passenger.

Mac Robert Tappon, 26, pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide, attempting to elude police and unlawful possession of a controlled substance in the Sept. 13 incident, which left 34-year-old Christine Pedro dead.

Judge Katherine Stolz sentenced Tappon to 10 years in prison at the recommendation of deputy prosecutor Tim Jones and defense attorney Dino Sepe.

“You made a lot of poor choices, and now somebody’s dead,” Stolz told the defendant.

Tappon was behind the wheel of a car a Milton police officer spotted speeding about 4:30 a.m. Instead of pulling over for the officer, Tappon sped off and drove through Milton at high speeds before losing control of the car on Porter Way.

The car flipped end over end numerous times before coming to rest on its roof, court records show.

Police found Tappon in the car, but Pedro was thrown out and killed. Police found her body about 120 feet from where the car came to rest, the records show.

Investigators found a pistol, credit cards, tools, electronics, clothing and a bag containing methamphetamine in and around the car, court records show.

Tappon told Stolz on Friday that he was in a bad place in his life at the time of the wreck and that he regrets what happened to Pedro, whom he called a friend.

“I take full responsibility,” he said. “I could have pulled over, I just wasn’t man enough to do it that night. I lost a friend over it. I’m sorry.”

This story was originally published April 15, 2016 at 9:50 AM with the headline "Federal Way man gets 10 years in fatal wreck."