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Texter Gets 6 Years for Vehicular Manslaughter
ShortNews ^
Posted on 04/04/2009 4:09:07 PM PDT by Chet 99
04/04/2009 11:45 PM ID: 78042 Permalink
Texter Gets 6 Years for Vehicular Manslaughter
California: Shingletown resident Deborah Matis-Engle, 49, received a six-year prison sentence Friday for gross vehicular manslaughter. She was convicted last month for killing Petra Monika Winn, 46, by ramming her car while texting with her phone.
Judge Cara Beatty, despite hearing from friends of Matis-Engle that she was a gentle, caring and loving person, made it clear that she was not the same person as a motorist. "She drove without any concept that people might be in her path," she said.
Matis-Engle was going at least 66 mph when she rammed a line of cars in a construction zone on a road she took daily. She ignored eight warning signs while paying bills on her phone. An officer spotted her texting twice only months after the crash.
TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: texting
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1
posted on
04/04/2009 4:09:07 PM PDT
by
Chet 99
To: Chet 99
Good. I hope she serves the full term.
2
posted on
04/04/2009 4:10:36 PM PDT
by
Tax-chick
("Never offend people with style when you can offend them with substance." ~Sam Brown)
To: Chet 99
seems fair and justice was served.
3
posted on
04/04/2009 4:11:38 PM PDT
by
Drango
(A liberal's compassion is limited only by the size of someone else's wallet.)
To: Chet 99
4
posted on
04/04/2009 4:11:57 PM PDT
by
Sawdring
To: Chet 99
Funny. In another state North of California, “1st Degree” manslaughter only gets you 72 days in jail.
5
posted on
04/04/2009 4:14:51 PM PDT
by
Jagdgewehr
(One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard. One faithful harp shall praise thee.)
To: Chet 99
She drove without any concept that people might be in her path Isn't that the way most women drive?
To: Tax-chick
Me too.
I can't tell you how sick I am of having to swerve or brake to dodge some selfish bastard on the road only to look over and see them texting.
7
posted on
04/04/2009 4:17:19 PM PDT
by
Ghost of Philip Marlowe
(If you haven't read "The Creature from Jekyll Island," you probably don't know what's going on.)
To: Chet 99
So much for all of you who say “I can work my phone and drive!”
You can’t change the brain’s wiring.
One of the very few things California has done right is to not only pass a law against using cell phines while driving, but to make it a presumption of guilt if you get in an accident while doing so. It makes resultant death an automatic Manslaughter charge.
8
posted on
04/04/2009 4:17:54 PM PDT
by
freedumb2003
(Communism comes to America: 1/20/2009. Keep your powder dry, folks.)
To: Ghost of Philip Marlowe
And I’m sure they’re all “gentle, caring, and loving” people, except that they don’t give a flying FReep if they kill someone because they had to text (or talk, or watch video) while driving.
9
posted on
04/04/2009 4:20:01 PM PDT
by
Tax-chick
("Never offend people with style when you can offend them with substance." ~Sam Brown)
To: Tax-chick
Just like all those “gentle and caring” pit bulls people talk about on here.
10
posted on
04/04/2009 4:25:38 PM PDT
by
Chet 99
To: Chet 99
Wish it was more than 6 years, but at least she’s going to do actual prison time. I just hope she does the full 6 years (I’m not holding my breath on that, either).
11
posted on
04/04/2009 4:34:52 PM PDT
by
DemforBush
(It's been a long four years...and it's only April 2009.)
To: Chet 99
They have the excuse of being dogs. Humans don’t have an excuse for deliberately engaging in actions that they know are dangerous to others - whether it’s texting while driving or having a pit bull unsupervised!
12
posted on
04/04/2009 4:37:10 PM PDT
by
Tax-chick
("Never offend people with style when you can offend them with substance." ~Sam Brown)
To: Chet 99
An officer spotted her texting twice only months after the crash.So, was she ticketed those two times or what?
13
posted on
04/04/2009 4:43:19 PM PDT
by
bgill
(this is my happy face)
To: Tax-chick
Yep. Among the expletives I mutter and hurl, the one constant is “Selfish. You selfish pig.”
At the base of the issue is that some people on the roads don’t want to acknowledge that two tons of steel doing 60 or 70 is potentially lethal. They’d rather have fun and let that bullet fly where it may.
14
posted on
04/04/2009 4:48:20 PM PDT
by
Ghost of Philip Marlowe
(If you haven't read "The Creature from Jekyll Island," you probably don't know what's going on.)
To: Tax-chick; Chet 99
They have the excuse of being dogs. Humans dont have an excuse for deliberately engaging in actions that they know are dangerous to others - whether its texting while driving or having a pit bull unsupervised!
I just hope this thread doesn't turn into another pit-bull bashing festival, pit bulls are usually highly responsible as you can see in the following transcript below:
*** T.E.X.T.I.N.G -between- P.I.T B.U.L.L.S. ***
Rex: "WHAAAAZZZZUPPPPP??!?!"
Tex: "WHAAAAZZZZUPPPPP??!?!"
Rex: "Whatchu DOIN'?!?
Tex: "Not much, textin' you while drivin' my Escalade"
Rex: "WHOOOO, ESCALADE!??!
Tex: "YEAAAH maaan, my human loans it to me on the weekends"
Rex: "Ya lucky mutt, bite anybody lately?"
Tex: "OH Yeaaaahhh, ate me a 2 year old last week!"
Rex: "WHOA! What flavor?"
Tex: "Hispanic, had a hankerin' for somethin' spicy."
Rex: "I can dig it, I'm feelin' like Chinese right now."
Tex: "Big Chinese wedding down the street, meet ya there?"
Rex: "oh YEAAAHHH, I'm THERE! But be careful ok?"
Tex: "Be CAREFUL?!? WHAAA?"
Rex: "We're drivin' down the Interstate, and texting!"
Tex: "Ohhh right, gotcha, hey you want the fortune cookies?"
Rex: "Naaah, just the little kids."
Tex: "LATERZ!"
See? it IS possible for our noble Pit Bulls to not only operate motor vehicles safely, but to text each other responsibly.
"Next time you see a Pit Bull, say hello: it might be the last thing you do in life."
15
posted on
04/04/2009 5:01:16 PM PDT
by
mkjessup
(You're either with our Constitution, or you are with TKU ("The Kenyan Usurper"). CHOOSE!!!)
To: Chet 99
Shasta County prosecutor Stephanie Bridgett said the 49-year-old woman had paid several bills by cell phone in the moments before the crash.
She was in the middle of one of those transactions when she struck a vehicle that burst into flames, killing 46-year-old Petra Winn.
Engle was driving at least 66 mph
16
posted on
04/04/2009 5:03:25 PM PDT
by
kcvl
To: Ghost of Philip Marlowe
dont want to acknowledge that two tons of steel doing 60 or 70 is potentially lethalYes, you're right. I'm sure they wouldn't throw a brick at a random person's head, or stand on the street corner shooting a gun at passing strangers. But the cause-and-effect of driving like idiots isn't as predictable and obvious, so it doesn't exist to them.
17
posted on
04/04/2009 5:06:08 PM PDT
by
Tax-chick
("Never offend people with style when you can offend them with substance." ~Sam Brown)
To: mkjessup
18
posted on
04/04/2009 5:06:53 PM PDT
by
Tax-chick
("Never offend people with style when you can offend them with substance." ~Sam Brown)
To: kcvl
Zot! GUILTY!
That is NOT a “gentle, caring, and loving” face.
19
posted on
04/04/2009 5:09:52 PM PDT
by
Tax-chick
("Never offend people with style when you can offend them with substance." ~Sam Brown)
To: kcvl
I don’t need to see any further evidence, that photo is sufficient.
GUILTY
20
posted on
04/04/2009 5:12:50 PM PDT
by
Chet 99
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