Doing the crime but not the time
The former N.C. State student who struck and killed a 60-year-old woman while driving drunk will get zero prison time.
Brian Anthony Reid of Graham hit Nancy Leidy as she was riding her bicycle on April 23. He has been drinking in celebration of turning the legal drinking age of 21.
His Breathalyzer test read 0.12, well above the legal limit of 0.08.
Leidy's widower has asked the judge to be lenient, but this has to be disturbing to bicyclists, who have complained that the legal system doesn't take seriously enough cases in which motorists injure or kill cyclists.
And it seems wildly inconsistent with, say, the sentence given former WXII morning anchor Tolly Carr, following his conviction for killing a pedestrian with his pickup truck while driving drunk.
Carr's sentence: 25 to 39 months in prison, a $10,000 fine, 100 hours of community service and five years probation.
Reid's sentence: three years probation, 400 hours of community service, $10,000 in restitution for medical and funeral expenses and five weekends in either the Wake County Jail or the Alamance County Jail.
He also will not be able to drink or drive for three years.
The issue isn't that Carr's sentence is too harsh. It's that Reid's is too lenient.
Comments (8)
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For once, we agree.
Posted on August 22, 2008 10:49 AM
I think the judge considered the widower's wishes and the fact this is a wet-behind-the-ears college kid and not an older professional-type guy.
I think we can rest assured that, unlike their victims, while both these guys still are living, their lives are all but destroyed.
Posted on August 22, 2008 2:17 PM
The other thing is that Tolly was on an all-night binge, whereas the student and his friends tried to do the responsible thing. They drove this guy home , put him to bed, and the guy was simply trying to make it to class, but maybe from lack of experience, didn't realize how much alcohol he still had on board.
Posted on August 22, 2008 2:58 PM
That may be true, but rarely does a drunk driver mean to hurt someone. Most had good intentions.
But the result in both cases is the same: an innocent person is dead.
Posted on August 22, 2008 3:04 PM
I completely agree, Allen. There is no difference between this case and the Tolly Carr case. What is it with some of the pantywaist judges we have around here?
If you kill someone while driving drunk, you should go to prison. Period. End of story. No exceptions.
Posted on August 22, 2008 3:36 PM
I always considered myself fortunate that my 21st birthday was during the summer break so I was shielded from sadistic frat brothers. Luck of the draw.
Posted on August 22, 2008 4:07 PM
This article supports those who object to lowering the drinking age to 18 years old. Waiting until a person is 21 years old will help them gain maturity and hopefully avoid situations like this one.
Posted on August 23, 2008 9:09 AM
On the other hand, the young man involved had reached the legal drinking age.
Posted on August 23, 2008 1:58 PM