Cristina Pavon-Baker, Chairperson
Community Christian School
“Attract what you expect, reflect what you desire, become what you respect, mirror what you admire.” – Author Unknown
Posted on 04/30/2018 6:13:14 AM PDT by Gamecock
LAYTON COUNTY, Ga. - Only Channel 2 Action News was in court Wednesday when a teenager learned she faces a felony vehicular homicide in the death of her best friend.
Cristina Pavon-Baker, 17, crashed on Interstate 75 in Morrow during Senior Skip Day. The wreck killed Mikayla Penn, 18.
Pavon-Baker's attorney asked the judge Wednesday not to take her passport since she had a cruise scheduled next month.
That upset the victim's family and the district attorney.
“She doesn't need to be on a cruise enjoying herself,” Clayton County District Attorney Tracy Graham Lawson told the court.
Channel 2’s Tom Jones said Lawson was clearly irritated when Pavon-Baker’s attorney asked the judge to not take the teen’s passport as a condition of bond.
“We would ask the court to allow her to leave the state and not put that restriction on her,” Pavon-Baker’s attorney Jackie Patterson said.
Responded Lawson: “I have an 18-year-old that can't go on a cruise. I have an 18-year-old who can't be with her parents who are in the back of this courtroom."
Jones said the cruise request upset Mikayla Penn's parents.
It was March 26 when Baker and Penn were headed to Southlake Mall on Senior Skip Day. Prosecutors said Baker drove 106 mph in a 65 mph zone on the Jonesboro Road exit along I-75.
Baker’s Mini Cooper flipped and crashed, killing Penn.
“We have some information that Snapchat may have been used” during the drive, Lawson said.
Baker is facing first-degree vehicular homicide, reckless driving and speeding charges.
Patterson said he meant no harm asking for Baker to go on the cruise.
“We were not trying to be insensitive. We were just trying to say, ‘Judge, she has already had these tickets for this cruise,’” Patterson told Jones.
Lawson said Baker has received enough special treatment.
“If you look at her history, these parents have covered for her over and over and over again. I believe in my heart of hearts Ms. Penn would be alive if this child had some consequences,” Lawson said.
Lawson was referring to some other traffic troubles Baker has had.
The judge gave Baker a $31,000 bond and ordered her to surrender her passport. The judge also ordered her not to drive and to stay off Snapchat.
According to the NHTSA, in 2015, 3,183 drivers between 15 and 19 were involved in fatal car crashes. 290 were driving distracted.
Clearly we should take cars away from this demographic, because, well, the children...
One should confine one’s snapchat activities when driving to less than 100MPH
Some people just need a beat down. This defense attorney is one of them.
L
She already had her 4,285 selfies planned.
After the affluenza this chick is toast.
And (admittedly in the absence of any knowledge of the case beyond the article) rightfully so!
Clearly we need common sense car control
Why does she have two last names...is she bipolar?
However, I'd not have the chutzpah to tell the court that I had to take a cruise, right after killing my friend in a car accident.
Took things from "Jeez, that was stupid" to "Throw the book at her." She should find a better defense attorney.
That car is very capable of being driven 106 mph safely. The car wasn’t the problem here.
Investigators recovered data from the Mini Cooper’s airbag module that indicated the car’s speed.
I was recently driving with a friend of mine who is a state trooper. In the course of our conversation, I mentioned that I agreed with no texting while driving laws.
(I don’t agree with no talking laws)
I told him it doesn’t matter to me. I simply cannot text and drive. Can’t physically do it.
Me too, but I never killed anyone because of the stupid things I did.
There but for the grace of God go I.
Can't agree with you on that. Every person over the age of 17 went through 17, and 99.9999% never killed anyone (except maybe gangbangers in third world sh!holes like Chicago). Point being that the vast majority of 17 year olds are not as irresponsible as this little tootsie, and don't need special grace to survive the age.
Ah, private Christian school, eh?
Not always perfect, are they?
But really, too bad.
If you want to know why the high school set is full of special snowflake/participation trophy types, look no further than this. She kills her friend, and then her parents think she should still be going on a cruise a month later.
In the article it says ON THE RAMP!
Bad enough doing that fast on the I, much less on a ramp!
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