Family of Butler Eagle employee killed in DUI crash offers forgiveness to driver at plea hearing
Channel 11 was the only TV station in court as the woman police say was behind the wheel faced a judge and accepted a plea deal.
'Jim was a Christian, and after two years, we forgive her. We wish her the best,' the victim's cousin, Mary Jo Burkholder, told Channel 11.
On the day Kassandra Clyde pleaded guilty to driving drunk, and hitting and killing Jim Barge, his family wants her to know they forgive her.
'She does have a life ahead of her, and she can make good decisions. She has to start from here, and go on. And make much better decisions than she did before,' Burkholder said.
Channel 11 was there as Clyde walked into the courtroom for her plea hearing, where she agreed to three to six years in prison.
In May of 2023, Clyde's blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit, yet she decided to drive and crossed the center line on 422 in Franklin Township.
She crashed into Barge's car. He died two weeks before he was supposed to retire from the Butler Eagle.
'From a grieving perspective, we've done the grieving. We just needed it to close in the court system. We wished it would have been a little faster,' she said
The family tells Channel 11 that the plea hearing was postponed almost a dozen times over the last two years.
'Very, very frustrating with the continuances. We would be ready to have this done, and we would learn of a continuance,' Burkholder said.
A judge will officially sentence Clyde in August, and she will find out exactly how much time she will serve in prison.
'We all make mistakes, and sometimes we make really bad mistakes, and we can be forgiven for them,' she said.
According to court records, Clyde was arrested for a DUI prior to the crash, but completed a program to get the charge expunged.
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