Jdub put this up in the comment section earlier:
A woman suspected of killing a teenage bicyclist with her car Saturday was found to be over the legal limit for alcohol, a Tucson police spokesman said.
Glenda L. Rumsey, 42, of East Migratory Place, near Broadway and Houghton Road, had a blood-alcohol content that exceeded .08 percent, the legal limit in Arizona, Sgt. Mark Robinson said.
I’ve got one thing to say about that: She should be looking at an Extreme DUI. And nothing less.
Rumsey faces charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and leaving the scene of a fatal collision, Robinson said.
Jose Rincon Jr., 14, was hit Saturday evening while pedaling with a friend on the shoulder of East Broadway near Harrison Road, Robinson said. He died later that night in a hospital.
Read it: www.tucsoncitizen.com
I’ve been following this one both on my blog (click on my name to see my blog) and over on the wrecks thread on BikeJournal (BJ is one of the worst kept secrets in cycling, check it out). The murder charges for hitting Rincon and the assault with a deadly weapons charge for hitting his companion were some of the most severe charges placed against a drunk driver in the last 12 months. These charges allege a degree of premeditation, that Glenda Rumsey got drunk and decided to hit a cyclist on some level, or that she planned to get drunk and then drive, regardless of the consequences. I think the citizens of Tucson should be proud of their DA and hope the charges stand up at the Grand Jury, or even get elevated. Just for my edification, who is the DA in Tucson?
Opus
Opus, she is charged with 2d degree murder, which does not in all circumstances require premeditation. I’ve got the actual statute up at http://www.tucsonbikelawyer.com.
–Erik Ryberg
Barbara LaWall is the DA
Erik I’m getting a 404 when I try to access your site.
I live in a community that seems to go out of its way to excuse violence committed against cyclists, so it’s refreshing to see one of these crimes being prosecuted aggressively. Glad to see that they’re bringin’ the pain on this one. In a perfect world there’d be a “Glenda-cam” with a monitor in every bar in the country so people could watch this bitch rot away in prison.
And Kudos to Ms. LaWall
I was getting a 404 as well. I Googled that site and it came up. His URL is messed.
Try number 2.
Try this link
…i’m sorry, mr ryberg, i read your blog, & while i value the reasonable pov you usually present here on dc, i find it hard to have compassion for this women…
…she was not only loaded but drunk enough to drive well off the road & run down two innocent kids, killing one of them…then, w/ typically drunk “fuck this shit” attitude, she drives away from the scene…
…speculation on my part, counselor ??? then give me something else to go on…i’ll also speculate that it wasn’t the first time she’d been inebriated behind the wheel but she’d gotten away w/ it enough times that it didn’t bother her…
…she showed no courage whatsoever, so for the rest of her life she’ll have to develop some courage to learn to live w/ her terrible mistake…i’m being generous when i say mistake, because it was in actuality, nothing but stupidity & selfishness…
…she could have called a friend or taken a fucking taxi…is a little more money so important that you’d risk the lives of others as well as yourself ???…christ almighty, its a saturday night & you’re already spending money on drinks, spend a little more…if you wanna drink outside your home, that is no problem, but find an alternative means of transportation when it’s time to go home…
…if she does ‘time’ as she should, hopefully on release she doesn’t find false courage in the form of another bottle because she sees herself as a victim…
Whew! All I meant to say was that I don’t personally think what she did quite fits the homicide statute. Like you, I think she needs to go to prison for years, not months, but even so I can find it in me to have compassion for her. These cases are never black and white, and (correct me if I am wrong, Jonny), even in Jonny’s case as the facts emerged and the sadness of the whole situation became apparent, it became clear that some degree of compassion was warranted. It’s tough, this whole business.
Erik Ryberg
…mr. ryberg, lest you think i’m some kind of cold-hearted bastard, i fully agree that she doesn’t fit the homicidal profile, but then again, i would imagine ‘most’ drivers in her predicament don’t either…
…but the truth is, she & anyone in that situation, do have options…
…on the day i read jonnys post, rather than go for a ride to clear my head, i went for a hike…bear w/ me a minute…
…idyllic, slightly hazy, blue winter sky, chilly but mild temperature…a quiet, beautiful day on the trail…off in the distance, across the narrow valley, the occasional ripple sound of mtb tires on dirt, followed by quiet laughter & conversation…
…the hillsides around me are blanketing themselves in green & already starting to spot w/ the colors of early season flowers, fed by the last rain… residual water dampens the trail & can be heard coursing, in the creek, down below…
…black silhouetted ravens chasing across the sky, their wings ‘thwak, thwak, thwaking as they spiral over my head…
…i couldn’t ever be in those peaceful surroundings & not appreciate them (i know, i know, double negative), but on that day, i thought about how a kid like jose would never get to sample that simple beauty…
…think about yourself at that age, out on your bike w/ your pals…maybe talking about girls, certainly not thinking about freedom but totally relishing it because w/ your whole life before you, you’d never imagine it could be ripped away…
…anyway, erik, i was obviously disturbed by the article & while i wouldn’t change a word of my diatribe, i thank you for reminding me to have compassion…
Yes, Glenda might have been over the legal limit and decided to drive. I highly doubt that she drove away from the scene with a “fuck this!” attitude though. I think it might be a little more like she was thinking to look for help? The thing is..She went back! The thought of leaving the scene permanently was not on her mind. This woman is not a hateful woman. I know her personally and she is unbelievably devastated at the fact that she has killed someone….
…look, i hope your friend finds the strength to not become a victim of the repercussions of her actions…she picked a rocky road to travel, inadvertently or not…
…it is not my intention to vilify or denigrate the woman…but i stand by every word i posted…
…good luck to you in helping her face her future…i say that honestly & from the heart…
This is in response to Steve’s comments . . .
A family friend was at the scene of the murder! I do call it a murder because this lady, a mother herself, choose to drive drunk. Let me say that Glenda was passing cars at a VERY VERY high rate of speed on the left hand side before she crossed back into the lane. You also state that she went back?? Ahhh, actually two cars followed her and forced her off the side of the rode because she had every intention of fleeing. God help this women’s soul because unfortunately HER ACTIONS no matter how wonderful and loving she me be . . .KILLED A CHILD!!!! I personally want to round together loving, caring parents and community members and hold signs in front of her home with a picture of Jose Rincon so that she can live with the consequences of driving while intoxicated. A women at her age shoud no better. Unfortunately our socity has become tolerant of individuals such as herself. That night she made a choice, a choice to drink, a choice to drive! That night she became a murderer and she should be put away for a long time!