A 24-year-old drunken driver who killed a cyclist while speeding 80 mph along a Gresham street was sentenced Wednesday to about six years in prison.

Kurtis Allen Linn had a blood alcohol level of .12 percent and marijuana in his system when he veered his Chevy Blazer into an oncoming car and then struck 56-year-old Albert Sawdon as he rode his bicycle on the sidewalk.

The impact broke Sawdon's spine, jaw, leg and every one of his ribs.

Investigators said Linn was driving more than double the 35 mph speed limit along Southeast Stark Street at 212th Avenue shortly before 5 p.m. on Oct. 8.

Immediately after the crash, witnesses heard Linn asking someone on the phone to pick him up because he'd just killed someone and could hear sirens approaching.

Police said Linn made inappropriate jokes in front of them about stopping to get fast food on his way to jail and that he now couldn't get a job in law enforcement.

But in Multnomah County Circuit Court, Linn's voice quivered with emotion as he said he was "terribly apologetic."

According to Linn and his attorney, Linn suffered from post traumatic stress syndrome. Linn said he turned to substance abuse to "drown out the pain of my childhood" and he'd just begun to see a psychologist before the fatal crash.

"My joy in life is helping people, not hurting people, and that's exactly what happened at the time of this accident -- is that I hurt people," Linn said.

He pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, driving while under the influence of intoxicants and fourth-degree assault.

Although none of Linn's victims attended the hearing, he apologized to Sawdon's family and the driver of the car he hit.

Linn had no history of criminal convictions.

Linn told authorities after his arrest that he smoked marijuana every day and in the past had abused alcohol and experimented with cocaine and methamphetamine.

At the time of the crash, he had held down a job at Burgerville near Southeast 11th Avenue and Hawthorne Street for about a year, said his defense attorney, Neal Weingart.

Judge Eric Bloch told Linn that he hopes Linn decides to rebuild his life once he's released from prison. Bloch noted that Linn won't yet be 30 years old.

"You're going to have a whole life ahead of you, and it's up to you how you chose to live it," Bloch said.

-- Aimee Green