Boston Teen Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Texting and Driving
A Boston, Massachusetts teen has been sentenced to two years in prison after being found guilty of causing a fatal car crash due to texting and driving.
Eighteen-year-old Aaron Deveau was convicted of motor vehicle homicide by texting in an incident where his vehicle crossed the center line and crashed head on into 55-year-old David Bowley’s truck, causing the man severe head trauma, which led to his death after 18 days in the hospital.
According to judge Stephen Abany, the maximum possible sentence was imposed on Deveau as a means of discouraging Massachusetts drivers against committing the same crime.
“Deterrence really seems to come to play in this case,’’ Abany said. “People really want to be safe on the highways. People need to keep their eyes on the road, keep their eyes on the road.’’
In his testimony, Deveau said he was distracted by the amount of homework he had to do and sent his last text message while parked in the parking lot of the grocery store where he worked. Yet phone records indicate Deveau sent a text message at 2:34 p.m. and received a response at 2:35 p.m., when police say is the time the accident occurred.
In addition to Deveau’s two year prison sentence, his driving privileges have been revoked for 15 years.
Texting while driving is a crime in Washington, DC and 38 states.
[MSNBC]