An alcohol-related crash that killed a bicycle-riding father of three last year will put a Henrico County man behind bars for a year, Henrico Circuit Judge Burnett Miller III decided today.

The 1:45 a.m. incident near the Hanover County border on U.S. 360 on April 7 last year took the life of Darrell Anthony Woodard, 37, who was bicycling home from his restaurant job.

He was miles from his Highland Springs home when he died.

Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Michael Huberman called Woodard a dedicated father who worked two jobs to support his family, as Woodard's family comforted one another in the courtroom.

"The end result of all this is the death of a very hardworking, decent person," Huberman said.

But defense lawyer David Whaley urged restraint, noting that Lynn Acree Smith, 31, had only minor past offenses -- including a failure to vaccinate his dogs -- and had returned to the scene and stayed there after seeing that he had struck a person, not a deer.

Smith, who was only a few blocks from his home in the 4100 block of Carpenter Road, tearfully begged forgiveness from Woodard's family, telling them the letters to the court from Woodard's children "broke my heart."

Smith's blood-alcohol tested .09 hours after the crash, barely above the legal limit. He was traveling west on U.S. 360 and had been visiting his father in King William County.

A slight fog hindered Smith's sight, already impaired by one failed eye. And Woodard's bicycle, in the far right lane, did not have a light.

The tragedy, Miller said, is "compounded by the fact that both the defendant and the victim were good, hardworking people."

He ordered Smith to serve six months of a 10-year sentence for involuntary manslaughter and six months more for driving under the influence.

Contact Bill McKelway at (804) 649-6601 or bmckelway@timesdispatch.com.