By Ray Stern
The nephew of a woman killed in a Mesa DUI crash persuaded prosecutors and a judge today to cut Savannah Sutherland, whose parents founded Cold Stone Creamery, a break.
As reported in this blog on Wednesday, Sutherland had reached a plea deal in her case two months ago that stipulated five-to-10 years in prison.
But Genovena Tepec-Juarez's nephew appeared at the sentencing this morning, telling Maricopa County Judge Andrew Klein that he wanted Sutherland to get less than five years, but with lots of community service.
Prosecutors had already tentatively accepted the new deal before the hearing. And when all was said and done, Klein sentenced Sutherland to three and a half years behind bars.
Sutherland also got 1,000 community-service hours, to be spent educating youth on the dangers of drunk driving, and five years' probation. But that's obviously better than rotting in prison for a decade. Which, under Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas' system, is what a couple of Mexicans -- who committed the same crime as Sutherland -- will do.
...
Anytime
By Ray Stern
The nephew of a woman killed in a Mesa DUI crash persuaded prosecutors and a judge today to cut Savannah Sutherland, whose parents founded Cold Stone Creamery, a break.
As reported in this blog on Wednesday, Sutherland had reached a plea deal in her case two months ago that stipulated five-to-10 years in prison.
But Genovena Tepec-Juarez's nephew appeared at the sentencing this morning, telling Maricopa County Judge Andrew Klein that he wanted Sutherland to get less than five years, but with lots of community service.
Prosecutors had already tentatively accepted the new deal before the hearing. And when all was said and done, Klein sentenced Sutherland to three and a half years behind bars.
Sutherland also got 1,000 community-service hours, to be spent educating youth on the dangers of drunk driving, and five years' probation. But that's obviously better than rotting in prison for a decade. Which, under Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas' system, is what a couple of Mexicans -- who committed the same crime as Sutherland -- will do.
...