Drunk Driving

On Nov. 27, Donna Renee Reid walked out of a courtroom, free to spend Thanksgiving, and probably Christmas, with her family and friends.

Donna is an 18-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence because, in July, with a blood-alcohol content of 0.15%, she struck and instantly killed bicyclist Phillip Charles Cramer.

That day in the courtroom, Presiding Judge Terry Knoepp listened while Deputy Atty. Gen. Rhonda Cartwright asked for a sentence of six years in state prison, a term she felt was justified by the seriousness of the crime and a sentence she felt would send a message to young drivers on what they would face in similar circumstances.

Then, in a courtroom awash with tears, Judge Knoepp heard emotional pleas for pronouncing this punishment from relatives and friends of Cramer, while equally emotional pleas for forgiveness came from the defendant and her mother.

In the end, Judge Knoepp brushed aside the recommendations of the attorney general and the pleas of Cramer’s relatives and, stating that any sentence to state prison would be inappropriate due to the defendant’s age and lack of prior criminal record, sentenced her to one year in county jail, a $1,000 fine, and five years probation.

Where does compassion stop and justice begin? Cyclists are vulnerable enough without having the added burden of dealing with drunk drivers whose punishment amounts to a mere slap on the wrist.

We have been accused of seeking revenge for the death of Phillip Cramer. We thought all we were asking for was justice.

In this case, we received neither.

GORDY SHIELDS, San Diego County Bicycle Coalition