The defendant criminally responsible for the vehicle collision depicted in the after-crash video (linked below) was sentenced to state prison late this afternoon in the Mendocino County Superior Court.
Once you view the video, we think you will agree that it was a miracle that no one was killed.
Appearing today before the Honorable Ann Moorman was defendant Kevin Richard Fenty, age 27, of New Jersey. He had been earlier convicted by plea of driving a motor vehicle on May 13, 2017 under the influence of hydrocodone causing bodily injury, a felony, possession of more than an ounce of marijuana, a misdemeanor, and driving a motor vehicle without a driver's license, a misdemeanor. It also did not go unnoticed this afternoon that just over a month after his May arrest for the crash here in Mendocino County, the defendant was arrested driving a vehicle in New Jersey and subsequently convicted back there of a felony drug charge again involving prescription pills.
Defense counsel for defendant Fenty argued for leniency at today's sentencing, citing among other things the defendant's prescription pill addiction and the defendant's need for court-enforced help. It was suggested that a sentence of probation, no additional jail time, and compulsory residential treatment was the appropriate course of action.
Opposing these requests, District Attorney Eyster argued for the maximum prison sentence allowed by law (three years), asserting that the defendant continues to pose too great of a threat to motoring public as evidenced by the severity of the crash on Highway 101 and the long-term physical and psychological injuries inflicted on the victim. With a separate felony drug matter still pending in New Jersey, Eyster argued the defendant was welcome to apply for and pursue a rehab program in New Jersey once his California prison sentence was completed and he was released in California on parole.
Special thanks are hereby extended to the motorists who began calling 9-1-1 on the morning of May 13th to report the defendant's erratic driving as he was heading north on Highway 101. Further thanks are extended to the citizens who stopped and provide first aid and comfort at the crash scene, and finally to the fire personnel, CHP officers, medical first responders, and tow workers who also responded to help the injured and clear the highway of vehicles
https://youtu.be/B1zi95uRjgw
Another Mendocino press release starring Dave Eyester! Oddly, it doesn't actually tell us the sentence (16 months, two years, or three years are the choices the judge had). Also, for that offense, he won't be on parole when he's released, he would be on Post Release Community Supervision, supervised by the Probation Department, not Parole.
ReplyDeleteActually Doug, they do issue press releases for other prosecutors and they even issue press releases for not guilty verdicts.
DeleteYou're not wrong, but a disproportionate number of the ones I see seem to feature Mr. Eyester. Well, he's doing God's work, and it is an election year.
DeleteThanks to the Judge for not accepting the defendants choice of drug addiction over his personal freedom and his obvious complete disregard for the public's safety.
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