Woman Gets 6 Years for Running Over Husband
A Newport Beach woman was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter for running over her estranged husband.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard Toohey in Santa Ana denied the request of Leslie Van Houten, 41, that she receive a sentence of probation.
Van Houten was accused of deliberately running down Kenneth Van Houten, 52, after arguing over the use of the family’s car last year. Police said she was taking the car to a hiding place, but he got on a bicycle and tried to intercept her. She ran him down, then backed up and ran over him again.
Van Houten’s lawyer, Deputy Public Defender William Kelley, said the woman endured years of physical and emotional abuse.
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