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I’m not sure I know the answer to that question. I didn’t know when the man who hit me was sentenced to five years in prison. I certainly don’t know anything more about it now that I’m in my second year of law school.
And, I don’t know anything about the answer to the question when I read stories like this one. 10 years. 10 days. Incarceration. Probation.
The only good thing I can say is, at least nobody died as a result of his actions. In that, I find comfort. As for his children not seeing him for the next four months, well, that’s the risk one takes when behaving in that fashion. Should have thought of that before hand, before you negligently injured someone.
From: Colin M.
Subject: 9 year sentence sounds about right but 120 days is more likelydenverpost.com/search/ci_14878141
A corporate lawyer from Evergreen has been sentenced to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to vehicular assault while driving drunk and child abuse.
Jeffrey Scott Detlefs, 57, was an attorney with Kerr Brosseau Bartlett O’Brien in August when his Lexus sport utility vehicle struck Jefferson County public defender Rex Hegyi, who was riding his bicycle along the Evergreen Parkway ramp to Interstate 70.
Detlefs drove off with his three children — 11-year-old twins and an 8-year-old — in the vehicle. His license plate fell off in the collision, and he was arrested at his home a short time later. Hegyi was seriously injured but recovered.
Detlefs was sentenced Friday and taken to prison.
He agreed to plead guilty in January. His sentence includes a number of conditions, including a review of his sentence after he serves a minimum of 120 days in state prison.
At that time, a judge could convert his sentence to 10 years of probation, said Lynn Kimbrough, a spokeswoman for the Denver district attorney’s office. Joey Bunch, The Denver Post
I’m leaning toward the nine year sentence standing.
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Unrelated to this post, but cool: http://vimeo.com/10964580
Via engadget.com “iPad fanatics are busying themselves with a wearable sleeve and app to automatically signal a bicyclist’s intentions to motorists: sit upright (stop sign), lean left (left arrow), etc. Silly sure, but we expect it might be very popular in Berlin’s techno subculture.” http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/16/ipad-sprocket-pocket-makes-us-feel-like-little-girls/
CA, around here you could have a 4×8 foot neon sign with flashing arrows and they’d still get off on the “didn’t see him” defense.
Jonny, what’s this “review his sentence” bushwash? How ’bout wde review the VICTIM? Long as the afflicted innocent suffers, his assailant is a jailhouse bitch. Can’t get any more just than that.
Hmmm, I wonder if 59 is too old for law school?
Joe,
I think the article is talking about a deferred sentence. I haven’t had much time to look into it.
Brief overviews here:
http://www.gustafsonlaw.com/Crim-Sent-Deferred_Sentence.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deferred_sentence
Jonny,
He pled guilty and got time to do. He is not getting a deferred sentence. His sentence is probably something like: 4 months to do and if conditions are met he could be released with the balance of his sentence suspended (probation) for the remaining 9 years 8 months. If he picks up another charge after getting out for anything during his 9 years and 8 months suspension his suspended sentence will/can be revoked and he would be made to serve out the remainder of his original sentence in jail.
Ok, suspended sentence. I don’t know why I got on deferred… Anyway, the balance of all the jail time is hanging over him like a Sword of Damacles.
That story was quite the topic of discussion around here in Denver for awhile. Bottom line is that the guy is a fool, and he got off way too easy.
Exactly.
I have been thinking about this since I saw it yesterday. What is justice? It’s been a debate since Plato. Justice is completely fucked up these days. Plea bargains and liability make anything impossible. How can lady justice see with a blindfold on? Big jonny, I think you are wise in trying to understand the system from the other side. Maybe you can be a better advocate and help us drunk cyclists out. If we are better educated, more informed, and take a more proactive outlook at our bicyclist life then you have succeeded. Fuck the rest. Best of luck to you and by the way, what the fuck is JUSTICE?
Justice ?
How about this:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10627375
Woman went through a stop sign, into a group of 20 cyclists, (& this clubs jerseys are neon orange so how the hell could she not see them ?), puts 4 of them in hospital, one suffers brain injuries & all she gets is a 6 month ban & is ordered to pay $1000 to each of the 4.
She’s a student so you know that it’s going to be at $20 a week.
The rider whe suffered the brain injuries is still undergoing therapy & has been told that he’ll never ride again.
Makes you want to puke.
This justice thing has left me thinking lately. Couple incidents that stand out:
Guy kills two cyclists while under the influence alcohol and marijuana, gets two years basically.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/Family-of-cyclists-killed-by-drunk-driver-outraged-by-sentence-79577352.html
Another driver gets charged with nothing after killing a cyclist traveling in the same direction…lack of evidence. This surprised me a bit more as he was an exec. at Lockheed Martin, figured that might carry some weight. And the fact that the section of road is pretty wide open, would be hard not to see something in the road unless you were paying no attention or going too fast…
http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/03/31/2081870/parker-county-grand-jury-no-bills.html