Sobering Sentence for Teen

An Anaheim teenager who crashed in the Victorville desert last year, killing four friends, pleaded guilty Wednesday to vehicular manslaughter and felony drunk driving.

Under a plea agreement tentatively approved by a San Bernardino County Juvenile Court referee, James V. Patterson, now 18, will serve four months in a Huntington Beach jail, undergo alcohol rehabilitation and work in the Orange County coroner’s office. As a reminder of the July 29 wreck, Patterson also will be required to display in his room photographs of the crashed vehicle and three of the friends who died. The mother of the fourth victim did not want her son’s picture involved.

Patterson, now a senior at Katella High School in Anaheim, showed little emotion as he admitted guilt for his role in the crash. Killed were Jonothan Croweagle Fabbro, 16, of Garden Grove, Steven Richard Bender, 18, of Orange, Anthony Fuentes Jr., 17, of Anaheim and John Thornton, 18, of Anaheim. Patterson, who was 17 at the time of the crash, received only minor injuries.

Some relatives of the victims wept in court as the names of the dead were read by Referee Joseph M. Petrasek. Patterson’s parents sat near their son, staring solemnly.

“We need to get closure in this case,” Petrasek said, as he scheduled final approval of the sentence for March 22. He paused and looked into the gallery. “I see a lot of heads going up and down. We need to get this done.”

Patterson and his parents left without speaking to reporters.

Parents of the victims had mixed reactions to the plea agreement. Some praised the emphasis on treatment rather than incarceration as a way for Patterson to salvage some gain from the tragedy.

“It is not [about] punishment. It is re-educating--getting him on the right road,” said Christine Thornton, mother of John Thornton.

Before the court session, as families had gathered in knots and Patterson stood waiting with his parents and friends, Thornton had gestured toward him and said, “I look at him. He could be my son. He’s a mother’s son.”

The prosecutor in the case called the proposed settlement “fair,” noting that Patterson is a good student with no previous criminal record.

“The goal is what’s good for Patterson, what will prevent this kind of thing from happening again,” said San Bernardino County Deputy Dist. Atty. Colin Bilash. “If you turn James Patterson around to make him see that he’s responsible . . . the next kid who thinks about it won’t get behind the wheel.”

But some of the parents called the punishment too lenient.

“It’s all we can get,” growled Tony Fuentes Sr., father of Tony Jr. “If we could’ve gotten more, I would’ve wanted more.”

“He should get the chair,” said Laura Stewart, mother of Jonothan Croweagle Fabbro. “He doesn’t even act sorry.”

Cindy Bender, mother of Steven Bender, disagreed. She said she was unsatisfied because she hoped even more emphasis would be placed on Patterson’s rehabilitation, less on his jail time.

Bender was the only parent of a victim to speak with Patterson during a three-hour wait before the hearing. Bender said she looks forward to sitting down with him soon, to begin the process of forgiving.

“Our door is never locked to him,” she said, moments before embracing Patterson in a dramatic gesture of reconciliation.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which had helped negotiate the plea deal, will coordinate Patterson’s treatment program. It is not yet known where Patterson will undergo his four-month treatment.

It also was unclear what job Patterson would do at the coroner’s office, where he is to perform 175 hours of community service.

Patterson was behind the wheel when his father’s Chevy Suburban careened out of control on a desert dirt road and rolled over several times. Bilash said his blood alcohol level was 0.17%, more than twice the legal limit for adult drivers and 17 times the limit for drivers under 21. A police report shows he was driving at least 58 mph.

Patterson told California Highway Patrol investigators he drank 10 beers around a campfire during the group’s overnight trip. He said he had slept for four hours in the back of the Suburban and had assumed that was long enough to sober up.

Three other teenagers, also in Patterson’s car, were injured in the crash. They have recovered.

Patterson has remained in his parents’ care and in school since the felony charges were filed in October. Under the proposed sentence, Patterson could not attend his graduation, senior prom nor any extracurricular activities. He would begin his jail term the day after finishing final exams.