Latest news with #SixthJudicialCircuit
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
'Drag racing' teen guilty of vehicular homicide sentenced for fatal Iowa City crash
A second teenager accused of drag racing in a fatal Iowa City crash has been sentenced to serve a maximum of 10 years in prison. Kesean Ford and Elijah Seals, then each 17 at the time, collided with 22-year-old Jennifer Russell's vehicle while locked in what police believe was a side-by-side "drag race" down East Court Street on May 27, 2023. More: Iowa's Big Grove Brewery is headed south, revealing plans for Kansas City taproom Seals and Ford allegedly failed to stop at the posted sign and their vehicles collided with Russell's car, which had just entered the intersection. Witnesses reported seeing the vehicles traveling at a high speed down Court Street, according to police reports. Russell died from her injuries a short time later. Russell's family filed a civil lawsuit in July 2023 against Seals, Ford and the companies that insure their vehicles. The case was dismissed later that year without prejudice because of a procedural error. The Johnson County Attorney's Office filed criminal charges less than a week after the lawsuit was dismissed. Ford, 19, was sentenced Monday, May 19, after pleading guilty in February to one count of homicide by a vehicle traveling more than 25 miles per hour over the posted speed limit, a Class "C" felony in Iowa. A judge sentenced him to an "indeterminate term not to exceed 10 years," meaning Ford could be released before serving the full length of his term. More: Man charged in Iowa City bank robbery denied insanity plea, sentenced to 5 years in prison Seals pleaded guilty in 2024 to reckless driving causing homicide by vehicle. As part of their plea deals, Seals and Ford agreed to pay the Russell family $150,000 in victim restitution. Ford is also responsible for approximately $15,000 in additional payments for funeral costs and other minor court expenses. Seals entered an Alford Plea in September, which allowed him to plead guilty without admitting he committed a crime. He instead only acknowledged that a jury would likely find him guilty of vehicular homicide because of reckless driving if the case went to trial. In December, Seals was given a 10-year suspended sentence. He was informed he could avoid prison time if he completed three years of probation under certain conditions, including "commit(ing) no new law violations." Seals' license was also revoked as part of his plea agreement and sentencing. More: Gov. Kim Reynolds signs law banning citizen police review boards. What the bill does: On May 14, Iowa City police initiated a traffic stop on Seals' vehicle. The 19-year-old allegedly "ran from the vehicle on foot" before the officer reached the car. Criminal complaints indicate that the officer didn't immediately pursue Seals, though he was apprehended when he allegedly returned "to claim the vehicle." Seals' probation is supervised by the Sixth Judicial Circuit's Department of Correctional Services. A hearing will be held if his probation officer decides to revoke his probation or if he holds Seals in contempt of court. A judge could decide to affirm that Seals was in contempt of court and sentence him to jail time or revoke his probation. Seals would be required to serve the remainder of the 10-year prison sentence if his probation is revoked, minus time served. Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@ or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01. This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: 2nd 'Drag racing' teen sentenced to prison for fatal Iowa City crash
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Families say proposed law over deadly drugs doesn't go far enough
Some families say a new bill in South Carolina that would hold fentanyl dealers accountable for overdose deaths isn't strong enough. The legislation is in the South Carolina House currently, but Channel 9′s Tina Terry spoke with families who say it should be expanded to include other deadly drugs. 'He knew what he was taking, but didn't know the risk,' said Holly Alsobrooks. She's been telling her son's story for years. Her son, Cody, died after taking just one pill that was laced with fentanyl. It happened in 2020, and since then, she and other parents have gone to Columbia pushing for a bill like this. House Bill 3591 was in a subcommittee this week, and if passed, it could send fentanyl dealers to prison for up to 30 years for the deaths they cause. But Alsobrook says the bill is now outdated. 'The fentanyl-induced homicide is not something that we are for. It doesn't include all drugs, and we know that we have xylazine and many other drugs that people are coming up with now. Our loved one's tox screens are coming back with multiple drugs,' she told Terry on Thursday. Lancaster County officials say there were 223 overdoses in 2024 from all opioids, not just fentanyl. Some of them were deadly. Sixth Judicial Circuit Solicitor Randy Newman agrees that the bill should include all illegal drugs. He traveled to Columbia to speak out on Wednesday. 'We would suggest a drug-induced homicide bill in that it would cover any drug that's a controlled substance. It would include fentanyl, but it would also include all these other drugs,' Newman said. Georgia and North Carolina currently have drug-induced homicide laws. On the phone Thursday, one sponsor of the bill said it may be easier to pass it this session as is and then make changes later. The bill moves on to the House Judiciary Committee next and would have to pass the full House before going to the Senate. We'll keep an eye on the bill's progress this legislative session. (VIDEO: '4th wave': Overdose deaths for Black, Latin people tripled in Mecklenburg County since 2019)
