Usually it's the light sentences, or lack of charges in bicyclist fatalities that make me angry. But here's a case where an Arizona woman received almost the maximum sentence, and it still makes my blood run cold.
The judge in Tucson gave Melissa Arrington, 27, a 10-1/2-year prison sentence after hearing a jailhouse phone conversation between Arrington and a male friend in which they joked about how she should get a medal and parade.
Arrington was convicted of negligent homicide and two counts of aggravated driving under the influence stemming from the December 2006 death of Paul L'Ecuyer.
Phone conversation
During sentencing, Superior Court Judge Michael Cruikshank considered a phone conversation between Arrington and a friend. According to the AP:
During the conversation, the man told Arrington that an acquaintance believed she should get a medal and a parade because she had “taken out” a “tree hugger, a bicyclist, a Frenchman and a gay guy all in one shot.”
Arrington laughed. When the man said he knew it was a terrible thing to say, she responded, “No, it's not.”
Cruikshank found the comment “breathtaking in its inhumanity.” The sentence was one year shy of the maximum.
Arrington swerved off the road and struck L'Ecuyer after dark on Dec. 1, 2006. Her blood alcohol was .156 percent, nearly double the .08 limit for Arizona. The AP reported her license had been suspended for a prior DUI at the time of the collision.
Thanks to Andy for tipping me off about the item in the League of American Bicyclists newsletter.
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