Maryland Woman Fined $310 for Killing Police Officer

ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — The Howard County State's Attorney's Office says a driver who struck and killed a county police officer last year has paid her traffic fines.

Prosecutors say Stephanie Grissom of Columbia paid $310 in fines for speeding and negligent driving. She also received three points on her driving record.

You’re confused. You think that when someone’s case is adjudicated that people are unable to profer up their opinion on whether they believe that adjudication was appropriate or not. In other words, you are inferring that I do not have any right to voice an opinion on this one point regarding this incident. I respecfully disagree with your position. There is nothing that prevents me or anyone else with profering a dissenting opinion regarding the outcome of such situations as this. Since it is nothing more than an opinion, and holds no weight with respect to that outcome, there is nothing here you can lay claim to with respect to my being unable to “accept” consequences. Unless, of course, you have the position that people have to right to voice their opinion, which would suggest you are against forums such as FR.

Dear SoldierDad,

I'm not confused.

I merely note that you've huffed and puffed around here about folks “accepting consequences” and it seems that this woman has accepted the consequences for her actions. She's paid her fine.

You're quite unhappy with the fact that they didn't throw her in jail on felony counts, and go flouncing around ever more about “consequences.” LOL.

The problem is that YOU'RE the one unable to deal with the fact that this lady committed no felony, nothing worse than a moderate traffic violation.

The reality is that the consequences in Maryland for driving 16 mph over the speed limit are to pay a $300 ticket, give or take.

sitetest

First, you don’t know anything about what I think here other that what you have assumed (and you know what they say about that). Second, nowhere in any post I made will you find that I stated I want to see this woman thrown in jail. I’ve only posted my opinion that a $310 fine just for speeding was too lenient for this case. If you bother to go back and re-read things I’ve said with respect to this case you will find that I stated there is blame enough to go around in this case. Placing those officers into that position in the first place was stupid. Stepping in front of a vehicle traveling at highway speed was also stupid. But, IMHO, the woman also deserves fault in this because she was not nearly at attentive with her driving as she needed to be. Were this case to have been in another jurisdiction I’m not so sure she would have gotten off so lightly. Simply because the prosecutor in this case was incompetent enough to convince a grand jury does not mean that no felony was committed. But, since you seem to only be looking to flame someone, I guess the fact that I’ve spoken of shared responsibility doesn’t mean much to you.

Dear SoldierDad,

“But, IMHO, the woman also deserves fault...”

She got hers. A $310 fine, and likely two points on her license (unless they were able to make the case for reckless driving, which is six points).

You think that's too lenient.

The state of Maryland, which includes the grand jury acting on behalf of the state, disagrees with you.

“Simply because the prosecutor in this case was incompetent enough to convince a grand jury does not mean that no felony was committed.”

Now someone else is assuming - that the prosecutor was incompetent. Overzealous, certainly. Incompetent, not proved.

The people sitting on the grand jury merely had the common sense to understand that driving 16 mph over the speed limit isn't a felony.

sitetest

She got hers. A $310 fine, and likely two points on her license . . .

A man is dead, and this woman is partly responsible. If you think that a $310 fine is sufficient consequence for a person who did not use due diligence while driving (a privilege not a right), then your opinion is duly noted. I have the right to a different opinion, and will proceed on that basis. Since I'm not actively engaged in any attempt to change the outcome of this case, I guess then, at the end of the day, all we are dealing with is opinion. You have yours (and are steadfastly remaining faithful to it), while I have mine. There seems no room for further discussion on this topic. I disagree that the jury had common sense in that they saw that driving 16 mph over the speed limit does not constitute a felony while forgetting that every driver on the road has the absolute responsibility to drive safely, which this woman failed. I only hope that the family of the killed officer finds some way to obtain justice in this case. I will end this discussion with you here. I no longer feel there is any need to have a dialogue with someone who is so callous as to disregard the real issues in this case. Good day to you.

Dear SoldierDad,

“A man is dead, and this woman is partly responsible.”

Accidents happen. I'm not sure that the officer wouldn't have been killed if she'd have been driving the (arbitrarily low) speed limit.

Generally speaking, folks who step out into highway traffic are at great risk of being hit.

"I guess then, at the end of the day, all we are dealing with is opinion. You have yours (and are steadfastly remaining faithful to it), while I have mine. There seems no room for further discussion on this topic. I disagree that the jury had common sense in that they saw that driving 16 mph over the speed limit does not constitute a felony...”

Yes, and the difference between my opinion and yours is that no state that I know of makes driving 16 mph over a 55 mph speed limit a felony.

Frankly, in Maryland, driving 16 mph over the speed limit isn't even one of the more serious TRAFFIC infractions. There is nothing in the criminal code, either misdemeanor or felony, that makes driving 16 mph over the speed limit a felony.

And that was the prosecutor's problem.

“...every driver on the road has the absolute responsibility to drive safely,...”

First, that doesn't mean that accidents will always be avoided. I had a friend in high school who ran over a man and killed him. Wasn't even issued a ticket. Of course, the man was inebriated, and walked right into my friend's line of travel. He was driving completely safely, yet this old drunk died. Sad.

Second, I know the stretch of road where this happened, and frankly, in my judgement, driving 71 mph may have been the safe thing to do, given what the rest of the traffic often does there, given the typical road conditions, the quality of the road, etc. Sometimes, adhering to the letter of the law while driving is unsafe.

“I only hope that the family of the killed officer finds some way to obtain justice in this case.”

What “justice” they find will likely come out of my pocket, as many have observed that the officer's employer, the state of Maryland, will likely be held liable for the stupid, dangerous orders given to the officer.

“I will end this discussion with you here. I no longer feel there is any need to have a dialogue with someone who is so callous as to disregard the real issues in this case.”

I have every sympathy for the officer and his family. But I also have sympathy for this poor woman, who will ever live with having been the proximate cause of the officer's death, even though it isn't her fault that someone stepped in front of her car at 71 mph.

But, driving 71 mph in a 55 mph zone where the speed limit should really be set for 65 mph or 70 mph just isn't a felony.

Your approach is a bit akin to hanging everyone for jaywalking. In marking down an accident from doing 71 mph in a(n arbitrarily low) 55 mph speed zone as a form of felony homicide, you actually trivialize real felony homicides, which is what seems truly callous to me.

sitetest

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