Post by Sher on Jun 22, 2005 14:47:49 GMT -5
OMAHA, Neb. -- A man convicted of killing his girlfriend while driving drunk was sentenced Tuesday to probation.
Jonathan Becker was driving Rachel Marlenee home from a Fourth of July party last year when he slammed into the Benson Library. The prosecutor said Becker was kicked out of the party only to come back and drag Marlenee out to his car and speed off. Becker's blood-alcohol registered 0.18 percent after he crashed into the library at 60th and Binney streets.
"I think she was partially ejected, and I think she slammed her head into the library sign," said Assistant Douglas County Attorney Matt Kuhse.
Judge Thomas Otepka did not go for the maximum sentence of five years in prison, opting instead Tuesday to send Becker to McCook's Work Ethic Camp, and assign five years of intensive supervised probation. He'll also be under house arrest for 90 days with electronic monitoring and he can't drive for five years. If he violates the terms, he'll go to prison.
"As opposed to being in the penitentiary, where he's going to be making license plates at best and lifting weights and watching television, here, he's going to be turned into a man," said Becker's attorney, James Martin Davis.
Marlenee's family said that's not punishment enough. They wanted prison time.
"The judge is in a tight spot, because he's got to do what's best for society, the defendant and the victim," Kuhse said.
Davis said his client is an alcoholic who comes from a long line of alcoholics. In fact, after the hearing, Becker's mother was arrested and taken away in handcuffs on an outstanding drunken driving warrant. His brother has a number of outstanding drunken driving warrants and didn't show up in court.
Davis believes the best the court can do is try to get Becker to sober up.
"Well, if this sentence won't do it, I don't think there'll be any sentence that will," Davis said
www.theomahachannel.com/news/4636029/detail.html?subid=22100461&qs=1;bp=t
Jonathan Becker was driving Rachel Marlenee home from a Fourth of July party last year when he slammed into the Benson Library. The prosecutor said Becker was kicked out of the party only to come back and drag Marlenee out to his car and speed off. Becker's blood-alcohol registered 0.18 percent after he crashed into the library at 60th and Binney streets.
"I think she was partially ejected, and I think she slammed her head into the library sign," said Assistant Douglas County Attorney Matt Kuhse.
Judge Thomas Otepka did not go for the maximum sentence of five years in prison, opting instead Tuesday to send Becker to McCook's Work Ethic Camp, and assign five years of intensive supervised probation. He'll also be under house arrest for 90 days with electronic monitoring and he can't drive for five years. If he violates the terms, he'll go to prison.
"As opposed to being in the penitentiary, where he's going to be making license plates at best and lifting weights and watching television, here, he's going to be turned into a man," said Becker's attorney, James Martin Davis.
Marlenee's family said that's not punishment enough. They wanted prison time.
"The judge is in a tight spot, because he's got to do what's best for society, the defendant and the victim," Kuhse said.
Davis said his client is an alcoholic who comes from a long line of alcoholics. In fact, after the hearing, Becker's mother was arrested and taken away in handcuffs on an outstanding drunken driving warrant. His brother has a number of outstanding drunken driving warrants and didn't show up in court.
Davis believes the best the court can do is try to get Becker to sober up.
"Well, if this sentence won't do it, I don't think there'll be any sentence that will," Davis said
www.theomahachannel.com/news/4636029/detail.html?subid=22100461&qs=1;bp=t