No excuse for no sellout
No excuse for no sellout
EDITOR:
I am a 1993 graduate of YSU and currently live in Columbus. I had to work Saturday and was not able to make the trip to Youngstown for the Youngstown State vs. James Madison game. I was very disappointed to see that the fans of YSU football could only generate 11,647 in attendance.
What excuses could you muster? (The weather was bad, the Buckeyes were on, it wasn't a big game?) To be honest there were no excuses as to why the "Ice Castle" should not have been sold out.
Man up for the second round home game Saturday.
LAMONT JACKSON
Columbus
Another family's tale of injustice after an accident
EDITOR:
I'm writing this after reading the Nov. 19 letter from Debbie McCutcheon. On Dec. 5, 2005, my 28-year-old nephew, Phil Snyder, was taking his motorcycle to sell it. His girlfriend and 3-year-old son were following him so that he could stop and get in her car to warm up occasionally. He was wearing a helmet, going no faster than the speed limit allowed.
On Rt. 224 near Mill Creek Park, a 66-year-old woman from Grafton, Ohio, pulled out of a doctor's office and struck him. This happened about 2:30 p.m. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance and pronounced dead at 5:40 p.m.
No one notified anyone in our family of this woman's court date. When his girlfriend called the prosecutor to find out why, she was told it was a criminal case and that they didn't have to notify us. I only found out by going to the clerk of courts Web site.
I had really mixed feelings about this woman at first. How many times had each of us pulled out into traffic when we shouldn't have or almost caused an accident? Then I found out that she was pleading not guilty. How could she plead not guilty, with all of the witnesses saying that it was her fault, that she gave my nephew no time to react? After several continuances in the courtroom, she was supposed to appear in Boardman court on Oct. 12. The judge called her name and her attorney went up to the judge and talked with the judge so that we could not hear what was being said. My family and I left, angry once again.
I found out that she was to go to court again on Oct. 26. She finally appeared and had the nerve to sit behind our family in the courtroom. She reached a plea bargain with the prosecutor. She pleaded no contest to vehicular homicide. The woman paid a 100 fine, received a 180 day suspended jail sentence, and had the nerve to request that her license not be suspended, so the judge didn't suspend her license. If I had killed someone while driving, I don't think my conscience would let me get behind the wheel again.
To say that my family and I were outraged is an understatement. The man who killed Debbie McCutcheon's niece at least got somewhat of a sentence. No, this wasn't a case of hit and run, but a human life was taken nonetheless. The woman got off with a walk in the park. I agree with Debbie: It is who you know or how much money you have. I would have thought that our family would have been notified by the court of when she was supposed to appear and even asked to speak to the court before sentencing.
This all happened six days before his daughter's sixth birthday, and right in front of his 3-year-old son. Now these two children have to grow up without a father, while this woman showed no remorse whatsoever.
After reading the accident reports, I discovered she was never even tested for drugs or alcohol. As far as we could tell, the rest of the cases heard before the court that day were mostly less serious traffic offenses, and the fines were higher than this woman's was. Our family thought that her court date would bring us some type of closure. Instead, it was a slap in the face, and made the pain and anger even worse. After Googling her, I discovered she is apparently well off. I really believe it all comes down to who you know or how much money you have.
DIANA BARINGER
Columbiana