digg

Join DiggAbout

Digg Townhall Tonight!
Tune into the live Digg townhall tonight at 5:00pm PST/8:00pm EST.

Warning: The Content in this Article May be Inaccurate

Readers have reported that this story contains information that may not be accurate.

Guess Who is Facing 21 Years in Prison?

phoenixnewtimes.com — The drunk , rich, white one, or the sober, poor, black one?

show profanity settings
expand all
  • EllieElliott, on 01/24/2008, -50/+200travesty
    • johnvm, on 01/24/2008, -41/+198not a travesty. the dude fled the scene of an accident. while maybe he shouldnt be guilty of manslaughter and facing 21 years, thats crazy illegal and should be. its even noted everyone in his car saw the SUV flipping and flying in the air - obviously people in the SUV are going to be critically wounded and in need of immediate help from paramedics.

      i dont support a 21 year sentence, but this guy is somewhat guilty. who knows if the girl would have lived had EMS arrived immediately b/c they stopped and called 911. people like to stir up racial/class issues when ***** like this happens, but at the end of the day this guy is in trouble b/c he fled the scene of the accident, not b/c hes black and poor.
      • fictionalOne, on 01/24/2008, -11/+66I was in an outrage reading this article, until I read that the man fled the scene. Although it does suck that the teen girl did not face any charges, leaving the scene of an accident can be just as deadly.
        • schmons, on 01/24/2008, -8/+26she had friends following behind her from what i gathered in the article. they would probably be the first people to call for help.
          • Chompy, on 01/24/2008, -25/+20Even if she did, Captaun U-turn doesn't know that. And he caused the accident.
          • unicronband, on 01/24/2008, -22/+6Sorry to thread hijack, but I FOUND HER MYSPACE!
            http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=us ...
            She's smoking hot in a bikini, her current mood is horny, and... well, just read her blog entry.
          • ksmith34746, on 01/24/2008, -7/+2That's not her. Look at the location: Hungary. You're kinda creepy.
          • TheGuruStud, on 01/24/2008, -10/+31Chompy: Following too close that you can't stop is not his fault. A stupid, drunk bitch (a la hilton slut) in a big ass Denali couldn't stop. You think? Bitches can't drive, let alone a big vehicle that weighs that much, with friends in the car AND DRINKING. Send that snotty ass bitch to jail for 15 yrs. Lets see if she learns anything about being a spoiled *****.
            Sure, charge him with leaving the scene and w/e else little tid bit ***** if you want, but he didn't cause that *****. She can't drive, she killed her friend, End Of Story.
          • Jawsh91, on 01/25/2008, -6/+2TheGuruStud-
            I'm glad you're able to conclude this from one article, with a CLEAR bias, they don't even mention why the guy would be at fault until later in the article, after you're already thinking it was totally the girl's fault.
        • BabyWookie, on 01/25/2008, -2/+21So, he should be charged with fleeing the scene of an accident, not ***** man-slaughter and other BS. It's still a travesty.
          • brundlefly76, on 01/25/2008, -3/+1Not if the accident was his fault.
          • nepawoods, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1She was drunk. That doesn't mean she caused the accident, or that she mishandled her vehicle. If he caused the accident, her drunkenness shouldn't absolve him of responsibility. The article seems to assume it should. It's not about drunk versus sober, rich versus poor, white versus black. It's about who caused it.
        • brundlefly76, on 01/25/2008, -5/+3They both need to go to jail, both were drinking and driving, the guy admitted he had been smoking pot, the girl was definitely driving drunk and underage, and the guy fled the scene - of a FATAL accident.

          They are both felons and there is no need to absolve either one of anything. Since he fled the scene and his blood alcohol level was obviously declining at the time of the accident, we will never know if he was under the legal limit at the time of the crash - a convenience he secured for himself. The OP describing him as 'sober' is completely misleading. He wasnt 'sober' - he was *under the legal limit when the cops caught him*. BIG difference.

          However, as to the person who *caused the crash*, that can only be determined by accident investigators and eyewitness testimony lacking a confession. Since the person making the uturn has the lowest level of right-of-way of, well, basically every other car on the road, it is not beyond reason to suspect his uturn may have been legal to perform, but illegally executed.
          • Kerrigore, on 01/25/2008, -0/+2Yeah, I'm sure he sobered up a lot in the 10 minutes it took for the sheriffs to catch up with him...
      • lydecker, on 01/24/2008, -7/+63Death is also a travesty. Wear a seatbelt, and don't ride in a car with a driver who's been drinking.
        • pahoehoe, on 01/24/2008, -4/+37travesty: to translate, imitate, or represent, so as to render ridiculous or ludicrous.
          travesty != tragedy.
        • JulioChavez, on 01/25/2008, -1/+1Travesty is appropriate:
          3. any grotesque or debased likeness or imitation: a travesty of justice.
          Nobody was attempting to use the word as a verb. See "noun" version of the definition
      • unicronband, on 01/24/2008, -5/+156Charge the guy with fleeing the scene of an accident, something he's certainly guilty of. If they determine he was partly at fault for the accident, charge him with that as well. The travesty is that the girl is clearly guilty of 1) Drunk driving, 2) Underage drinking, 3) Purchasing alcohol underage, 4) Presenting a false ID, 5) Most likely causing the accident to begin with and if so 6) The manslaughter charge he is facing. So far, she isn't facing ANY charges. That, my friend, IS ***** up.
        This hits fairly close to home too. Over the summer, a kid I know was driving home from a bar completely *****-faced (I know, I saw him there that night). On his way home, he hit a kid who was riding his bike home from work. Instead of getting out to see if he was alright, he fled to his parents house down the road. After several hours, the cops were able to follow the trail of radiator fluid to the smashed up truck in the driveway. He was taken in for questioning, but by this point he was no longer drunk. To this day, he has not been charged with ANYTHING. If it matters, he was rich and white, the kid he hit was from a poor immigrant family.
        • alkajazz, on 01/24/2008, -1/+20I completely agree.
        • jonohull, on 01/24/2008, -1/+25Absolutely. I could not even finish reading that article because it made me sick.
        • unicronband, on 01/24/2008, -4/+36Oh, I forgot to mention the kid on the bike died.
        • Barbosa, on 01/24/2008, -13/+9This is digg man if you ain't the right color you will be judged differently here, just as in the rest of the US. Remember the guy was half Black so he MUST have done something wrong.
          • gmprunner, on 01/25/2008, -6/+11Like flee the scene of an accident, which is a felony?
          • krebcycle, on 01/25/2008, -2/+14@gmprunner
            That's not what he's being charged with; he's being charged with manslaughter which was caused by the drunk bitch
          • KennMac, on 01/25/2008, -0/+6@gmprunner

            It's a Class A misdemeanor in just about every state. Not a felony.
        • theclansman, on 01/24/2008, -4/+9I don't believe your story, they would have at least charged him with fleeing the scene
      • soulknowledge, on 01/24/2008, -2/+64So.... how do explain the girl NOT getting in trouble?
        • raynar, on 01/24/2008, -7/+2Not yet, it wouldnt have those exiciting racial overtures if we gave that secret away. stay tuned.
        • troye, on 01/24/2008, -4/+29She is white and rich - that's how she didn't get in trouble.
        • chakktor, on 01/24/2008, -0/+5slut
        • krebcycle, on 01/25/2008, -3/+17same reason Lindsey Lohan is out partying instead of locked up for multiple possessions of Class A drugs which would get a black guy locked up for 15 years
        • Kerrigore, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1It's because reality has a well-known liberal bias. Oh, wait...
      • roosterjm2k2, on 01/24/2008, -28/+10I know in some states fleeing the scene of an accident makes you legally responsible for the accident, regardless of what happened.

        And can the race *****. Its not about race...its about what happened. He made an unsafe u-turn (1), casued a fatal accident (2). and fled (3) ... not even calling for help... end of story.
        • jjesusfreak01, on 01/24/2008, -3/+22How is it that you can use the "crime of passion" or "temporary insanity" defense when you intentionally kill someone, but if you get in a car wreck, and you have a carload of people screaming at you to, "go, go, go", you dont get any leeway.
        • korea, on 01/24/2008, -4/+43The girl was charged with nothing. I'm pretty sure race, gender, and class had something to do with that.

          Where in this article does it mention that the u-turn was unsafe? The most unsafe part about it is doing it in front of a drunken idiot driver.

          It seems the mood of comments at Digg are dictated by mob-mentality. You will occasionally see a large flock of "there's no such thing as racism in America today!" folk with a small sprinkling of with some people with a grasp of reality here and there. Or you see a large group of people that recognize lingering institutional racism and randomly interspersed interjections by the clueless.
          • troye, on 01/24/2008, -3/+4I agree. Digg this up so people can hear a sensible digger's wisdom.
          • roosterjm2k2, on 01/24/2008, -4/+8If it was a poor white guy, it would be the same thing.

            Same ***** thing as OJ...its $$ not race...it has been for a while now...its not gonna change...

          • krebcycle, on 01/25/2008, -2/+5@roosterjm2k2

            There are 21,170,000 poor white people in the US. There are 10,800,000 poor black people in the US. That means there are twice as many poor white people in the US than poor black people.

            There are 2,900,000 black people in prison in the US
            There are 2,475,000 white people in prison in the US.

            Thus, poor black people are convicted of twice as many prisonable offenses in the US than poor white people.

            This information was taken from these two sources:

            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_demographics_o ...
            http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/usa/race/
        • glasnostic, on 01/24/2008, -1/+34a legal u-turn does not cause an accident. he left the scene of an accident in which he was the victim. still a crime, but not worthy of 21 years.
          • roosterjm2k2, on 01/24/2008, -19/+2If you're doing a uturn, and hit oncoming traffic, im pretty sure its your fault...
          • Tryptek, on 01/24/2008, -0/+16she hit him - not the other way around
          • sougly, on 01/25/2008, -1/+11roosterjm2k2 fails at reading comprehension.
        • Barbosa, on 01/24/2008, -0/+13Reverse the roles and I guarantee you'd find a way to spin it the other way.
      • glasnostic, on 01/24/2008, -2/+17while i agree that he is not being prosecuted because he is black and poor, i do think that he would be in a better position if he was rich. sadly, if you are poor, you are more likely to be found guilty, simply because you cant afford the kind of lawyers that the others can.
      • CedEx, on 01/24/2008, -2/+16The travesty is that he's charged with some ridiculous trumped up "charges", while she has got nothing! Are you saying that she is completely innocent?
        • Barbosa, on 01/24/2008, -8/+2Of course she is.
        • jsmu, on 01/24/2008, -2/+1Pay no attention to the troll. Merely a tool of the rich, drunk, upper class.
        • monkblues, on 01/25/2008, -2/+1Travesty? Did you read the article? The dude had been smoking pot, drinking, and pulled out in front of a fast moving vehicle. He then left the scene of the accident he helped cause. He deserves jail time.
          The girl is obviously just as guilty - they both should be in jail in my opinion.
      • jdepp, on 01/24/2008, -4/+10He's not found guilty yet, right? He's facing 21 years if he's found guilty. Perhaps he fled the scene because he knew he was drunk or high on drugs at the time, and by the point the cops caught up with him it had cleared his system? Perhaps he was on the wrong side of the road doing his U-turn and the girls sailed into him? Perhaps he's totally innocent and panicked. None of us speculating here know how it went down. It's not totally crazy he stands trial, but the girl should be charged also.
        • Inquisition, on 01/24/2008, -0/+7He's not guilty yet, but he has been in jail. Lost his job because of it.
          And the article says that they caught him ten minutes later. Hardly enough time to have sobered up.
          If that were me, I would sue the sherrif department with false imprisonment, lost wages, emotional damage and then a big fat punitive fine.
          • adrenaline33, on 01/25/2008, -0/+4Fleeing the scene of an accident is enough of a cause for arrest and imprisonment. You act like what the girl did wrong makes what this guy did right. You DO NOT leave if you get into an accident. Period. Not to mention the trace amounts of marijuana in his blood might have gotten him a DUI as it was. I'll admit the manslaughter and assault charges are probably trumped up but one of the felonies was....fleeing the scene of a fatal accident. Are you telling me he isn't guilty of that?
      • NnyCW, on 01/24/2008, -3/+11Just throwing the idea out there, but you ever stop and think that maybe he fled because these ridiculous over the top charges are handed down to black people enough that, in a moment of panic, feared the worst and just tried to get away?
        I agree, fleeing the scene is always bad, but the fact that a young, rich, white, and female drunk driver has nothing but the memory of the incident as punishment for what happened. While the poor, black, and male sober individual was driving within the legal rules of the road now has not only the memory, but could possibly face 21 years of imprisonment on top of it.
        Some punishment for fleeing the scene, by all means. But this amount is ridiculous and it should never be harsher than the one who drunkenly drove and ended up killing someone.
    • brainboy77, on 01/24/2008, -12/+9it's ***** like this which makes big al (yes, big al will be involved) bearable.
      • bfdhud, on 01/24/2008, -7/+7agreed. I actually found myself thankful for the reverend.

        Even if he fled the scene, that is a ticket or a misdemeanor at best. That rich bitch should have been the one to die
        • jjesusfreak01, on 01/24/2008, -4/+8Same goes for PETA and the ACLU. I hate them most of the time, since they like to mess with everyone's lives, but they are a necessary evil to keep things in check.
    • Chompy, on 01/24/2008, -26/+6Guess who caused the accident and then fled the scene?
      • theutopian, on 01/24/2008, -5/+20Guess who was drunk and too impatient to slow the ***** down instead of trying to pass.
      • troye, on 01/24/2008, -6/+10I found my first racist!
      • yuutokun, on 01/24/2008, -2/+11Guess who stole my bike!
      • jsmu, on 01/24/2008, -3/+3Guess who wants to ***** the blond drunk *****?
    • blackmage439, on 01/24/2008, -14/+10BULL. *****. is what I would call it. Almost makes me ashamed to share the same race as those ***** pigs of "cops" and the ***** judge.

      Dumb drunk bitch deserves to rot in jail.
      • gquaglia, on 01/24/2008, -3/+2I'd hit it..
        • Barbosa, on 01/24/2008, -4/+5I wouldn't. ***** sheltered, spoilt, clueless bitch out partying crashes her car. I can do better.
        • Barbosa, on 01/25/2008, -2/+3I'll take the hand over a drunken debutante. At least it won't puke on me
          • gquaglia, on 01/25/2008, -3/+1And it is won't turn you down like every other woman probably has.
    • s0m30n3, on 01/24/2008, -10/+4***** *****, I hate these dumb ass cracker bitches, always gotta hate on the minority cause they dont have as much money or some other lame ass excuse, ***** bitch, someone better ***** up her myspace if they ever find her out
    • braves322, on 01/24/2008, -4/+3tell her message her on myspace
      http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=us ...
      • wicketr, on 01/24/2008, -4/+2From her page: "Mood: horny"

        giggidy giggidy
        • jershie, on 01/24/2008, -0/+5Lesson is: Don't run when you're involved in an accident. It only makes you look guilty!
      • Inquisition, on 01/24/2008, -1/+3Wow! maybe she offered the deputy a "favor"
      • bullox, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1I'd let her go...after spending a night in my bed.
    • 1town, on 01/24/2008, -8/+2The fact that you are allowed to drink and drive in USA *is* a travesty, yes. Jesus Christ, 0.08 is the legal limit??
    • tugger, on 01/24/2008, -5/+15America, land of the free...

      As long as you're white and wealthy, that is.
    • FadieZ, on 01/25/2008, -1/+2Wtf, is this for real?
    • sinurgy, on 01/25/2008, -2/+4It's a travesty that someone died and it's total BS that the girl was not charged with drinking and driving, underage drinking, etc. etc. However it doesn't sound to me like she caused the accident. I live here and know of the highway they are talking about, that is definitely not a good area to make a u-turn and you'd have to be a moron to not pull to the side first instead of just slowing down in the lane! IMHO he caused the accident and then the jerk off flees after seeing the SUV flip over several times? I'm finding it very hard to feel sorry for the guy.
      That being said, I don't think anyone in this scenario should be going to prison. Fines, classes, community service, etc. but not prison. It was a horrible accident but an accident nonetheless.
      • p3ngwin, on 01/25/2008, -0/+6if he made a LEGAL U-Turn, then it doesn't matter if the road is considered not a good place to do the maneuver. if it's LEGAL then you can't hold him responsible just because the road isn't safe enough to do legal move when a drunk & underage girl is speeding.

        if you walk with friends down a dark alley and get mugged, how are you responsible for the attack on your friends?
        you may flee the scene, but you didn't cause the attack because you are legally and perfectly entitled to walk there.

        • adrenaline33, on 01/25/2008, -0/+2So let's say the accident was her fault. By leaving the scene he looks guilty and makes the call a lot harder. Not to mention he can and should still be charged with fleeing the scene of a fatal accident.
        • Gizza, on 01/25/2008, -0/+3It doesn't really matter whose fault it really is. If there is a traffic collision (accident implies there is no one to blame) and one of the people involved is drunk, then they're to blame.
        • sinurgy, on 01/25/2008, -1/+1I don't care whether or not it was LEGAL, the guy was an idiot for making that U-turn and I still believe he caused the accident. Furthermore the road being unsafe has nothing to do with speeding or underage drinking.
    • auzziedigger, on 01/25/2008, -0/+4Why do people have to think in terms of black and white all the time? The guy looks mostly white to me, and this seems far more about wealth than anything else. The moron media likes to create racial conflict all the time, and introduce the aspect of the race that people belong to wherever injustice occurs.
    • poeticfist, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1It's a tragedy, not a travesty.

      Sorry for being a diction Nazi, but to clarify, a travesty simply means an 'inferior imitation'. Unfortunately, the journalist didn't know better.

      /clarifying
    • someuser90, on 01/25/2008, -0/+0lol he's so *****
  • hdar3415, on 01/24/2008, -28/+140Can't say I'm surprised about this. It happens far too often.
    • ReubADoob, on 01/24/2008, -28/+4Surprised? You must not live in the USA
      • cdemi, on 01/24/2008, -1/+14...
      • MaynardJK, on 01/24/2008, -1/+25Judging by your reading comprehension I would say that you do live in the USA.
        /so do I
      • Monarch818, on 01/24/2008, -0/+11U.S. Public Education System from the 90's to present? I'm guessing so, because I have a 14yr old at home, and they haven't taught him English since 3rd grade. He doesn't even know what the word "preposition" means.
        • raynar, on 01/24/2008, -2/+9maybe he's just stupid?
        • mahdaeng, on 01/24/2008, -1/+3Preposition....hmmm...same thing as a proposal, right?

          /just kidding, of course
    • alpinweiss88, on 01/24/2008, -1/+7I am actually surprised by this, considering how tough they are on drinking and driving here in Maricopa County. I have friends who have spent a few days in tent city. They're real bastards about it, and I'm surprised she wasn't charged. But they really did throw the book at this guy, even if he did cause the accident. 21 years? Damn.
      • parax, on 01/24/2008, -2/+10How would you figure he caused the accident? She hit him, if you run into someone, you caused the accident by not keeping a safe distance, not paying attention, and in her case, being too drunk to make sound judgments. The only thing he actually did wrong was flee the scene of an accident. They are pretty tough on drinking and driving almost everywhere unless you're rich, white, and pretty. Then they're not tough on anything.
        • mwolfzorn, on 01/24/2008, -1/+2Most places if you flee the scene (hit and run) then you are guilty of causing the accident.
        • p3ngwin, on 01/25/2008, -1/+3agreed!
          SHE caused thee accident. she was drunk, underage (not sure what they mean by underage driving as doesn't that mean "illegally driving" because you have no license?), and because she was going too fast to be safe, she wasn't able to brake in time when he LEGALLY made the U-turn.
          he should be charged with fleeing a crime just like any other crime, but NOT charged with the effects of the accident HE didn't cause.
          she was drunk, illegally driving and caused the accident that damaged both cars and killed her friend. her friend died because the girl was drunk and unqualified to drive, not because some guy didn't stay to report an accident that he didn't cause.
          the girls are responsible, it's their lives they put at risk an now they've ruined his.
          why should he be forced to be responsible for the lives of others who aren't responsible for themselves?
          • adrenaline33, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1He bailed her out by fleeing. What part of that is so hard for people to understand?
    • GoKings, on 01/25/2008, -0/+3The girl should CERTAINLY be charged, if for nothing more than a DUI. It also sounds like it was her fault. However, he fled the scene. It doesn't say after how long they found him, but it does say it went from .04 to .01 from the time he got tested in the field, to when he got the actual test on the machine. So, that's a big question. Then he fled the scene. Big time no no. But, the fact that she's being charged with nothing is quite sickening. But to pretend like this guy is Mr. Innocent is pretty dumb. Also, this isn't really a black thing. I couldn't even tell he was black.
    • auzziedigger, on 01/25/2008, -1/+1The guy doesn't look too black to me; he appears mostly white
  • abenton, on 01/24/2008, -108/+497This smells of not stating all the facts.
    • grmclaren, on 01/24/2008, -13/+524It would seem that facts are missing from both sides.
      However, the FACT that the drunk teenager was charged with NOTHING makes my blood boil.
      • wonderchemist, on 01/24/2008, -12/+43It's time like these I hope karma gets the DA who does not decide to press charges... Maybe the same drunk killing his/her entire family.
        • DrDigg, on 01/24/2008, -11/+23I know you are just trying to make a point, but that really is a horrible thing to say.
          • troye, on 01/24/2008, -8/+13No it's not, because this guy who faces 21 ***** years in prison will most likely have his life over. Sure you get the last 40 years of your life, but the best part of his life may not exist for him. I do hope that this DA loses his entire family to some drunk.
          • wentwj, on 01/25/2008, -1/+3The DA's family didnt' do anything. I don't see the rational to that. The worst I'd concievably hope for is that the DA gets hit by the same drunk and... becomes paralized or something major that is less than death.
        • Abominous, on 01/24/2008, -0/+14Filing a complaint with his state bar would work too.
        • Delusionist, on 01/24/2008, -0/+2Nifong'd.
        • jc801, on 01/25/2008, -1/+0Filing a complaint with the government doesn't do ***** except waste time, paper, and resources.
      • tdog138, on 01/24/2008, -23/+0I don't know, I think feeling responsible for killing another person, let alone a good friend, might be punishment enough. But hey, why not throw in some probation to go along with it?
        • bfdhud, on 01/24/2008, -3/+27I would almost be willing to bet money that she blamed the black guy for her friends death. I'm also willing to bet she has convinced herself she was in no way responsible.
          • Chompy, on 01/24/2008, -8/+4Witnesses reported that the guy swerved in front of her, slammed on his brakes and went for the U-turn, forcing her to swerve into another lane to avoid him.

            Yes, the guy *is* responsibile for her friend's death. She should be charged with DUI, of course, but this guy caused the accident and then fled the scene. He deserves prison.
          • mahdaeng, on 01/24/2008, -2/+6They're both guilty. He was driving irresponsibly - and so was she. She likely would have responded better to the idiot driver in front of her if she were sober.
          • Barbosa, on 01/24/2008, -1/+8I have yet to hear of a situation where someone rear ends a car and is not at fault.
          • stevenb, on 01/25/2008, -0/+2@chompy

            Uh, where is your citation of information there buddy? I didn't read anything about witnesses stating that he "slammed" on the brakes in front of her to make a u-turn. Even then, she's at fault for following too closely and not being able to control her vehicle. Not to mention the whole drunk thing.
        • heystoopid, on 01/24/2008, -1/+8My friend most serial drunks truly don't give a rats about anyone but themselves every time !
        • stevenb, on 01/24/2008, -3/+12The fact that she's busy myspacing it up and living her life like nothing happens shows just how evil most people are these days.
        • tdog138, on 01/24/2008, -5/+0Wow, bfdhud, presumptuous much?
      • Jpotts12, on 01/24/2008, -11/+8Someone needs to administer some vigilante-style justice...
      • ventralnet, on 01/24/2008, -1/+18If you hop in the car with someone who is plastered drunk, you aren't being very responsible yourself
        • p3ngwin, on 01/25/2008, -0/+2totaly agree.
          i'm fed up with the people's idea that OTHER people are more responsible for the effects of choices WE make.
          responsibility is a chain. there is no one person responsible for anything, we ALL are connected n the causality that make something happen. *****, the milkman that delivered the breakfast nutrition to their home that day is responsible for the energy that they consumed to help allow the crash, that doesn't mean he is responsible for it.
          the guy made a legal turn on a road near an irrisponsible girl, she ***** up.he fled, so what?
          is HE responsible for the dead girl getting in the car?
          is HE responsible for making the m drink so much?
          is HE responsible for making them the fake I.D. card and buying alcohol?
          is HE responsible for making them drive?
          • agaudet, on 01/25/2008, -0/+2no hes responsible for smoking weed
            this is much worse than driving drunk according to the police state@
            heil!
      • tba2287, on 01/25/2008, -0/+3I don't wish for something that severe, as that would be unfair to his family. However, he deserves to end up like Nifong for pursuing such a double standard. That girl should have her license revoked and be charged with manslaughter.
    • Audacitor, on 01/24/2008, -10/+82Did you read the whole thing?
      • jmpeagle, on 01/24/2008, -8/+92why read an article when you can smell it?
        • pkonink, on 01/24/2008, -8/+17Because this article actually presented quite a large and comprehensive amount of factual information regarding the case. But you can "smell it," so why should you bother to use your brain?
        • sharobichaud, on 01/24/2008, -11/+2 digg me down
    • DrDragun, on 01/24/2008, -11/+125You smell of not reading the article. Seriously, the full police reports were basically disclosed in the source.
      • ChromeWalnut, on 01/25/2008, -4/+11Why is tensenki being buried?? he's looking from a logically inclined, unbiased standpoint...Everyone on this website is always preaching about how we should stop being spoon-fed everything by the fallible media; well guess what, that concept applies to all issues- not just the ones that go against your own opinions. Get a grip and think for yourselves people, I'm tired of these mob-and-pitchfork-like tendencies arising out of Digg lately without knowing all the facts.
        • scottc, on 01/25/2008, -2/+4"A very biased reporter states something..." How did you read that as unbiased? He made a big assumption about someone he knows nothing about, unless he knows something that he's not telling us.
    • nblsavage, on 01/24/2008, -34/+108"smells of not stating all the facts" = "This disagrees with my skewed worldview"
      • mcool119, on 01/24/2008, -8/+2More like "they disagreed with my objective worldview"

        They never even entertain the possibility of it actually being the other driver's fault.
        • mcool119, on 01/25/2008, -0/+4RTFA
        • piwy, on 01/25/2008, -0/+4Usually when you rear end people it's your fault. No matter how stupid the person in front of you behaves . The fact that she was drunk, was close enough to the car in front that she tried to pass instead of slow down and that the dude was actually making a legal u-turn, make this a pretty heavy case against the chick.

          But anyways, the problem here is not who's at fault, but why the girl was not charged with anything. Minimum charges on either side should be "fleeing accident scene" for the black dude and DUI for the girl. The one person pretty sure to win her case here is the mom of the deceased girl.
      • goofygarber, on 01/25/2008, -8/+2Seriously. He was "a little drunk and a little high"

        Shut the ***** up. He was ***** up, killed a girl and fled the scene. The Yukon driver deserves to be punished for DUI and underage drinking. She should lose her license. He should be charged with manslaughter and reckless endangerment, and sent to jail.
        • agaudet, on 01/25/2008, -1/+5lol
          he was performing a legal turn
          it is on both parties to avoid an accident
          if you are going 80 MPH down a highway and roll your car because your too ***** to react quickly
          then she should be the one charged
      • robodrew, on 01/25/2008, -2/+1You are an idiot, goofy.
    • tdog138, on 01/24/2008, -18/+6I have to say I agree. It is impossible to tell what really happened from this article. Regardless, it is horrible.
      • csw1342, on 01/25/2008, -3/+1Whoa, common sense.?? your in the judgmental lynch mob part of town. ***** the facts that we don't know about. So you better get all worked up and write your congressman, go out start a revolution, or at least, at bare minimum, sit here on the computer and cry about the ***** up system which we support by not doing anything about.
    • silveravnt, on 01/24/2008, -3/+49FTA:"And that's when, Wilkerson admits, he made a really big mistake. He panicked and took off.
      "I freaked out," he says. "That's no excuse; that's so not me. But I had the people in my car yelling, 'Go, go, go!' and I just freaked out and panicked." Sheriff's deputies caught up with him just 10 minutes later.
      Because he fled the scene, it's understandable that the sheriff's deputies assumed that Wilkerson had something to hide. Their reports note that he smelled heavily of alcohol, that he'd admitted to smoking pot that morning, that he seemed drunk. "
      • iLemon, on 01/25/2008, -3/+2Oh, O-N-L-Y 10 minutes after he fled the scene of a accident? He turned himself in? Police identified his vehicle based on eyewitness descriptions, pulled him over, and arrested him? After his friends dumped the bag of weed?
      • SwingCorey, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1yeah, gotta admit that the whole marijuana thing is partially to blame as well.

        No wonder he was making the U-turn so slowly. Nice and mellow....
    • Trav3133, on 01/24/2008, -12/+8Yeah and that guy is black? He can pass for a lot of things.
      • yfguitarist, on 01/25/2008, -0/+2Something everyone seems to be missing is the fact that he's not black, he's not even half black. His dad is black and American Indian, and his mom is white.
        • KnightofCydonia, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1No, he is actually black. According to the US Government, he would fill in the "African American" bubble just because he is even part black...even though his ancestors probably aren't from Africa.
    • bernandoo, on 01/24/2008, -1/+20i need a diagram
      • soulkitchen, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1I'm a little confused too. Was he making the U-turn out of the lane in front of the Denali? or was it into the front of the Denali?
        And why did he have to run? Sadly, "Freaking out" is probably going to be the worst mistake of his life.
    • prisoner24601, on 01/24/2008, -3/+67Fleeing the scene is an action that becomes incredibly difficult to counter-balance, even for the best attorney.

      You NEVER EVER leave the scene. People immediately no longer see you as white, black, brown, whatever. You become (instantly) the one that everyone *feels* is responsible even if you weren't.
      • ziptnf, on 01/24/2008, -2/+21This story would be a complete outrage if he DIDN'T leave the scene, but since he did, the charges are slightly clearer.

        However, this girl should have been arrested, had her license taken away, and been on serious probation with a hefty fine to pay. Accidents happen all the time, it's a matter of how they are handled by the police. Looks like this one was handled completely wrong.
      • jc801, on 01/25/2008, -9/+3"You NEVER EVER leave the scene. People immediately no longer see you as white, black, brown, whatever. "
        You obviously don't know what your talking about, color is always a factor in white america.
      • Scaryclouds, on 01/25/2008, -0/+3First you are correct, second you should read the whole article. The guy admits partial responsibility in the accident, but is frustrated (justifiably) that the girl, who was drunk, is not being charged with anything.
        • adrenaline33, on 01/25/2008, -0/+3One thing you never do is admit the accident is your fault. The one thing you REALLY never do is flee the scene of an accident.
    • Makaras, on 01/24/2008, -15/+7This amuses me, the guys causes an accident (to the extent had he not been U-turning the accident in question wouldn't have happened), flees the fatal accident, admits to drinking and smoking pot, but it is because he is Black he is innocent or some how less guilty. What this guy done deserves a strong penalty here, because leaving the scene of an accident is a very serious crime. The fact there were drugs involved only makes it worse.

      I wish the guy involved was white, so when the judge dishes out this adequate penalty no one would say anything.

      The real issue here is the teen not getting into any trouble. This article is poorly written and there are obvious omissions on both sides. I would love to get my hands on this police report to see exactly what happened my gut tells me that there is an issue with this teen supposedly being "drunk".
      • Makaras, on 01/24/2008, -10/+1As in I really doubt she was as drunk as this article tries to portray her as, but without an accident report all of this is mere speculation.
      • kajoob, on 01/24/2008, -5/+1You've been dugg down for too much truth.
      • r00ts, on 01/24/2008, -0/+6If you'd have read the article, you'd find out that the guy blew a .049 and had negligable traces of marijuana in his sytem.

        You'd have also found out the girl had .09 (well above the legal limit for a minor) and was driving recklessly.

        Now explain to me why the one who was proven to be drunk wasn't charged while the one under the legal limit was?
        • yevkasem, on 01/25/2008, -2/+1if you weren't an idiot, you'd know that marijuana is illegal. regardless of amount. as makaras stated, the real problem is that the teen wasn't charged, not that the man was charged for his crimes.
        • Lukesed, on 01/25/2008, -0/+3In any amount? So basically anyone who goes to a concert is pretty much ***** for the next week?
      • Vaelkar, on 01/25/2008, -0/+0Dude wasn't drunk. Dude wasn't high. He was well below the legal limit. Based on the article, he had a very small amount of marijuana in his system. So what? Smoking a joint in the morning does not impair your driving ability in the evening. According to the article, the man attempted to do a U-turn. The girl was either 1.) driving wayyyy too ***** fast; or 2.) tailgating the man. It is possible to not know that someone is directly on your ass. I drive a 2000 Hyundai Tiburon.. which is an extremely small car. I've had many times where someone has been riding my ass so close that I can't make out the headlights in my rearview mirror. This is entirely possible in my opinion in this situation.. due to the fact that drunk teenage girls are 1.) naturally bad drivers and 2.) chemically induced bad drivers. I don't see how a man making a U-turn seriously affects someone. Also.. the report states that the man was driving a small Hyundai. How exactly does a small Hyundai (tiburon/accent/excel .. none of which weighing more than 3,000lbs) cause a 5k lbs+ truck to flip? It can't.. judging by the article.. what most likely happened is that the girl panicked and over compensated, flipping her own vehicle. Where I live, if you flip your own vehicle, no matter what, you are at fault. Does not matter how close I am or if I am endangering you. If you overcompensate and this in turn causes harm to you or your vehicle.. you are at fault. The only thing the guy did wrong here is run from the accident. It shouldn't matter if he's black or white, this is a ***** up situation.
    • jer2eydevil88, on 01/24/2008, -12/+7The teen driving should be charged for something but from the article it seems Bryant Wilkerson the guy in custody had been smoking weed himself. What the article says transpired was that Bryant Wilkerson pulled out into traffic causing the teen to swerve which resulted in the teen's SUV flipping over. Then Bryant Wilkerson left the scene of the accident and was arrested 10 minutes later after police found him. The girl driving the SUV was over the legal limit and should be charged for that but the cause of the accident wasn't just her drinking it was this idiot and his irresponsible behavior.

      Teenagers are bad drivers (not all but I am generalizing for the sake of argument) and they tend to make stupid decisions when with friends for the sake of a good time. That said she should face the consequences of her actions that led to this girls death as it was her responsibility as the driver to make sure everyone wore a seatbelt!
      • pontiac, on 01/24/2008, -3/+8Yeah it was also kinda her responsibility to not drive drunk...
      • Barbosa, on 01/24/2008, -4/+5Move Bitch get out the way!
      • kcap122, on 01/25/2008, -0/+3Yeah and also you're talking about trace amounts of alcohol and marijuana, not enough of either to render him intoxicated at the time of the accident. that's not really a fair comparison to the girl who was wasted behind the wheel
    • ZenMojo, on 01/24/2008, -2/+17Let's see. Guy has traces of alcohol and weed within non-intoxicated levels. Girl is drunk off her ass and has been in a previous accident. Hmmmmmmm.
      • p3ngwin, on 01/25/2008, -2/+4agreed. it is hypocritical for the legal limits to be such that even if someone IS under the legal limit, if they are involved in an accident the levels UNDER the limit are considered as partial responsibility.
        if the state decides that a level is "safe", and someone has less than the limit, then the state needs to be consistent and IGNORE THE BELOW LEVELS because they were already agreed to be "safe".
        if the state wants to use such accidents as data to re-evaluate the safe levels, then all good. but you don't go making a legal limit, then charging people or considering the levels in case because you believe they contributed.
        if you believe i'm safe with less than XXml of alcohol/any substance in my body, then you can't use those levels as a means to hold me responsible for anything. YOU decided those levels were safe and made it know to the public, so YOU made the law and YOU are responsible if you made a mistake about the data.
    • lukas88, on 01/25/2008, -3/+10You flee the scene of an accident and you should expect people to think the worst. "I panicked" is a ***** excuse.

      The girl should be charged and the guy shouldn't get 21 years, but lets stop pretending like he is innocent.
    • crestfall, on 01/25/2008, -4/+7For one thing, they said Laura Varker was posting on myspace in her bikini - wrong. That Laura Varker is from Hungary, and is older then the one in the accident. The only one in Phoenix (and as close as can be guessed to the age of the one in the article) has no photos. So yes, there is some lazy reporting going on here - usually the symptom of being distracted by agenda.
      • Zephkiel, on 01/25/2008, -3/+4Why exactly would you know this? Did you try to find these bikini pictures?
        • B3000, on 01/25/2008, -1/+2Oh and also, regarding the girl "from Hungary" why does she have a blog entry about her dead friend Felicia?
        • soulkitchen, on 01/25/2008, -0/+4@B3000 I thought you were just kidding, but sure enough here it is.

          Friday, September 21, 2007


          Felicia
          ..> ..>
          i miss you but i know that you can see me, and can hear me
          but can you feel this pain?

          i need re-deaming, show me a brighter day. This cloud over my heart wont clear away.
          i dont know what to say but i love you so much ... got me starin at your photo wishin it'll come to life. im a mess inside searchin for answers to justify the truth. im cryin out, im about to lose. But ill restrain myself from doing what you wouldnt want me to.

          ill be happy, i wont cry, i wont keep doing what i do. ill find a way to live again.. girl i promise ill break through. . . thats what i tell myself when i fall down... man.. who can i really fool?
          what im trying to say but wont come right is FeFe i miss you.
          ___________________________________________________________
      • B3000, on 01/25/2008, -1/+3Okay, do you really think that you are so smart? The girl "from Hungary" has a bunch of comments from 18 year old friends in Phoenix Arizona. Could this be the worlds largest coincidence? Or are you just a little less smart than you think?
        • crestfall, on 02/06/2008, -0/+1ok. guess she lied about a few things then.
  • Haidoken, on 01/24/2008, -24/+116horrible. Lawyers don't fight for justice, they fight for any loophole they can use.
    • LowRentDiggs, on 01/24/2008, -2/+10Where do lawyers fit into this story? The sherrifs and prosecutors are the ones who determine guilt and decide who to prosecute.
      • ArmandoM, on 01/24/2008, -2/+13And here I thought judges and juries determined guilt.
        • danlowlite, on 01/24/2008, -1/+3If it gets that far...to be even go to trial, you have to have a cop find something you did wrong, then you have to have a prosecutor determine he or she can convict you, and then have the judge not throw it out because the cop screwed up.

          Not that this story doesn't piss me off. It does. But what's the bigger crime: driving drunk and killing your friend, or being in the wrong place and panicking. I've panicked in every accident I've been in, and nothing has cost more than a little bit of touch-up paint.

          I hope race had nothing to do with it, but I'd be stupid to actually believe that.

          *Ooops.* Edit:

          ...Left turn... Still, does the punishment fit the crime?
        • dalaeth, on 01/24/2008, -0/+5That's the difference between book learnin' and street learnin'...
      • LowRentDiggs, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1Ok, leave "guilt" out of that sentence and it doesn't change anything, although they do have to determine who they believe guilty.
        • p3ngwin, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1quite simply this is about who is the most responsible for what happened. everyone is in a chain of responsibility as in this universe of causality we are ALL responsible for EVERYTHING that happens.
          the question is how much?
          she had a LIST of reasons that contributed to the accident, he was making a legal turn on a road and broke no road laws. his only responsibility is being afraid and not doing the better thing of staying instead of fleeing. it seems even f he DID stay, she would have died anyway, 10 minutes wouldn't have changed much for the outcome.
    • mooseontheloose, on 01/24/2008, -1/+8Lawyers shouldn't be fighting for justice, they should be fighting for clients. DAs are another matter, but not all lawyers are DAs.
    • shawn1122, on 01/24/2008, -5/+6It's sickening how the rich can find ways to put themselves above the law just by paying the despicable lawyers in this world.
      • CubicleCaptive, on 01/24/2008, -3/+5Let's see if you change your tune when you need one.
      • jsmu, on 01/24/2008, -2/+0I imagine 'cubicle captive' is more the kind of ***** that will be needing one. More than once, probably.
    • cnot3, on 01/24/2008, -0/+8Uh, I think this guy could use a lawyer right about now, rather than a quip at them. Its the corrupt police and prosecutors that are charging him with these false allegations. After he is cleared of charges, I hope he sues the police dept. and prosecutor's office for defamation of character, and makes bank. Then maybe they will think twice before charging an innocent man.
    • Makaras, on 01/24/2008, -2/+3Yes, It is the evil greedy lawyers who feast on the tragedies of others.... With their cold black eyes, and their over sized wallets.... Surely there was not negligence in this incident by any of the parties involved. And since this well written article is completely full of bias we can also accept whole heartedly that the exact line of events that have occurred in this article, have been portrayed 100% accurately.

      It amuses me how every idiot on the internet immediately blames lawyers, when 99% of a time a real good lawyer solves almost any conflict effectively (I.E. it the "victim" in this accident had one)
      • edjenkins234, on 01/24/2008, -2/+2"99% of a time a real good lawyer solves almost any conflict" Yeah we get that, it's just who they solve the conflict for, that bothers us.
      • maddhopps, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1Everyone deserves a good lawyer. When you stop believing that, then restate your comment.
    • Jareth86, on 01/24/2008, -2/+5*****, somebody call Phoenix Wright!
    • uberdilly, on 01/24/2008, -1/+5For every greedy lawyer there are 2 standing up for less fortunate peoples rights.
    • LastSight, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1hey money's money, wat the hell do you do for a living?
  • Zoshchenko, on 01/24/2008, -24/+262There is no justice. Only money.
    • Static88, on 01/24/2008, -7/+10There is no justice. Only Zool.
      • Gabberwok, on 01/25/2008, -1/+1I can't believe someone beat me to that...
    • sindex, on 01/24/2008, -0/+4you're absolutely right... sigh.
    • jimmick, on 01/24/2008, -2/+1Money? Bah
      It's alcohol
    • FlynnRocks, on 01/25/2008, -5/+2Well being black he was bound for jail eventually.
    • GoKings, on 01/25/2008, -1/+2Funny, how a rich black one got away with two murders because he had the money to get great lawyers. But yeah, this isn't a wealth thing, clearly it's a race one.
  • KC67, on 01/24/2008, -112/+6That puts a new meaning to doggie style.
  • blindhammer, on 01/24/2008, -33/+62Ironic considering that the accident occurred on the "Bush Highway."

    I don't know how a prosecutor could pursue this case in good conscious given what was stated in the article.
    • blindhammer, on 01/24/2008, -1/+14Err, conscience, not conscious :D
    • jeffiek, on 01/24/2008, -0/+16Prosecutor? Conscience? Where have you been?
      • blindhammer, on 01/24/2008, -2/+3Uh, the Pacific Northwest were prosecutors are held in respect because most of them are fair and balanced?
    • MasterGrief, on 01/24/2008, -1/+12Irony?
    • squegie, on 01/24/2008, -1/+2question?
    • schlef, on 01/24/2008, -1/+6How is this irony?
    • WinnemuccaMac, on 01/25/2008, -1/+4Really? You're going to tie Bush into this? Too much time on your hands.
  • bobcaygeon00, on 01/24/2008, -11/+153anyone find the link to her myspace page?
    • thejames, on 01/24/2008, -12/+3.
    • seanc6610, on 01/24/2008, -22/+13this could be it...
      http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=us ...
      • flippedcracker, on 01/24/2008, -0/+13seems like it could be:

        "Felicia
        ..> ..>
        i miss you but i know that you can see me, and can hear me but can you feel this pain?
        i need re-deaming, show me a brighter day. This cloud over my heart wont clear away.
        i dont know what to say but i love you so much ... got me starin at your photo wishin it'll come to life. im a mess inside searchin for answers to justify the truth. im cryin out, im about to lose. But ill restrain myself from doing what you wouldnt want me to.

        ill be happy, i wont cry, i wont keep doing what i do. ill find a way to live again.. girl i promise ill break through. . . thats what i tell myself when i fall down... man.. who can i really fool?

        what im trying to say but wont come right is FeFe i miss you. "
        • raynar, on 01/24/2008, -1/+15"i'm sendin out this blog, even though you can't read it, because worms are eating you right now because of my dumbass. Oh well, off to the mall, later gator".
      • glasnostic, on 01/24/2008, -2/+5is she white?
        • Frnnkdlxx, on 01/24/2008, -0/+3I suppose Hungarian no longer accounts as European...
        • TBBucs, on 01/24/2008, -0/+1Psst. She's not from Hungary.
      • kaplanfx, on 01/24/2008, -8/+5Most likely not, the girl in that link is a 20 yr old, while the girl from the article should be either 17 or 18, also it says she's from Hungary not texas. I think the people who wrote the article don't understand myspace and just looked at the first profile that came up on a search.
        • JKrogol, on 01/24/2008, -0/+11I don't think I know any teenagers who list their real age and location on Myspace, though.
        • unicronband, on 01/24/2008, -0/+11This is definately her. There is a blog posted about her friend Felicia who died. In the article a girl named Felicia died in the crash. It says she's from Hungary, but if you read her comments, she and her friends are clearly from Phoenix. Also, the article mentions her on her myspace in a bikini, and there is a girl in a bikini. Also, if you search for her full name in myspace, this comes up.
          • CocoaPuffs23, on 01/24/2008, -1/+6According to myspace, I'm going on 999,999 years. Believe my age too?

            EDIT: Damn this comment system.
          • soulkitchen, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1Actually a majority of her friends aren't from the US anyways, and their profiles look like they were created by the same person (note the broken English in the comments, etc). This thing smacks of fraud.
        • drummerjoe74, on 01/24/2008, -0/+4Is that sarcasm? Or stupidity? I don't know whether to digg you up or down...
        • slotar, on 01/24/2008, -0/+3She's called laura in her comments, so its definitely her. Comments are missing for all of 2007 though. Would have really liked to see some responses after the accident.

          "***** YOU, YOU DRUNK BITCH'
      • cheribom, on 01/24/2008, -0/+5She looks like a richbitch who's never had to face any real consequences in her life.
      • DevilInPgh, on 01/24/2008, -3/+4Mood: horny.

        Kiss my ass, bitch! You should be fodder for the entire Arizona Department of Corrections.
      • xqb4dpx, on 01/24/2008, -0/+2ayo sean, how are you gonna do on that calc midterm tommorrow?
        • thoughtudied999, on 01/24/2008, -2/+3Calculus midterm > Sean. I predict total failure.
      • zspeed78, on 01/25/2008, -0/+3I think this may be it.. looks like she deleted a lot of content .. but theres so many comments from a long time ago.. seems like it is.
    • emehrkay, on 01/24/2008, -17/+6http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=us ...
    • yohnstoppable, on 01/24/2008, -11/+6I really don't think this horribly written article justifies a ***** of people going after someone on myspace. I would need a lot better confirmation than that.
    • Picaroon, on 01/24/2008, -5/+3That's probably not her MySpace. She was 17 last year.
      • tehmark, on 01/24/2008, -0/+4sure, people don't lie on the internet.....
    • hlcno, on 01/24/2008, -3/+2smoken'
    • moebeth, on 01/24/2008, -1/+10actually, i think that is her... i know her sister :/
    • Barbosa, on 01/24/2008, -8/+3Leave the stupid little bitches myspace alone it ain't gonna change anything and you'll be wasting lots of time. She'll get hers Karma is abitch.
      • kernel16, on 01/25/2008, -0/+5In form of myspace harassment.
        • p3ngwin, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1exactly, let nature take it's course....and i'm part of nature :)
      • brettmurf, on 01/25/2008, -1/+0God, I feel terrible for laughing and even condoning the myspace harassment. Your remark was too much for me though, I lawl'ed a bit too hard. Perhaps it is time to create a myspace account.
    • ChromeWalnut, on 01/25/2008, -10/+5If you're planning on harassing this girl, it only show how incredibly immature and ignorant you and everyone who dugg you up are. I'm sure she is aware of the personal responsibility she had in her friend's death (this just in, teens sometimes make mistakes when it comes to alcohol...); the fact that the courts failed to punish her for it does not, in any way, make the injustice her fault...PUT DOWN THE TORCHES/PITCHFORKS AND GET A GRIP PEOPLE!
      • Barbosa, on 01/25/2008, -4/+4Yeah put em down people lynch mobs, torches and pitchforks are only to be used against *****
      • VarelseSoul, on 01/25/2008, -1/+3Actually, she is playing innocent because her rich daddy has lawyers. Did you read that her mother made everyone swear silence?
    • TheProtested, on 01/25/2008, -1/+2http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=us ...

      pretty sure thats her, her note is about her friend dying, the same person who died in the accident. shes hot....but what a ***** *****....
    • BaCardiSilver, on 01/25/2008, -0/+0Personally I understand not wanting to go to jail on her part (hiding behind the lawyers and all), but not taking responsibility for your actions publicly is immature, that is getting off with out any judicial action against her.
    • nphase, on 01/25/2008, -0/+5Best part of her myspace page is the comment:

      "
      we should be best friends.
      you should come to my sickass
      party on march 25th. :) its gonna
      be HUGE. 12 kegs and 3000 dollars
      worth of alch... u know i dont ***** around. "

      Mar 4 2006 8:08 PM.
  • cablemodemguy, on 01/24/2008, -5/+39Now he's in the hands of the wonderful Sheriff Joe Arpaio
    • mahdaeng, on 01/24/2008, -1/+9Pink underwear and tent village living.
    • Picaroon, on 01/24/2008, -5/+7Sheriff Joe FTW!
      It's a shame that in this case the true culprit wasn't punished. I sure hope she is. Joe is great at punishing DUIers, what with tent city, bedtime stories, and making them bury people who died of alcohol poisoning.
    • kylepike, on 01/24/2008, -5/+9No Sheriff Joe is an idiot; hes cracked down so hard that the laws are just ridiculous. A friend of mine who is 21, drove home after having 2 or 3 beers at happy hr. We ate and hung out for well over 2 hrs, so 3 beers isn't much. He was pulled over for making too wide of a right turn, he was stupid and submitted to the field sobriety tests, passed. Took a breathalyser blew a .04. Didn't matter the it was up to officer discretion whether he was drunk or not. Ended up having to pay 3,000 in lawyer fees plus fines. and a weekend in tent city. ... sounds like sheriff joe is just cleaning up this town.
      • Hindu_Wardrobe, on 01/25/2008, -4/+5Dude, your friend drank and drive. He's the idiot.
      • kcap122, on 01/25/2008, -3/+5No. His friend drove with a LEGAL level of alcohol in his body. If it was considered significantly unsafe for a person to drive with under a 0.08 BAC, it would be illegal. His friend acted within the confines of the laws. Honestly, if what's actually written down as a law no longer applies as the law, I don't see how anyone is expected to know exactly what legal conduct is.
      • mahdaeng, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1Moral of the story (for those too dense to catch it): Don't drink and drive.
  • ZisforZebras, on 01/24/2008, -17/+0i don't think any of these people would want to drop the soap...
  • iceman0113, on 01/24/2008, -6/+242FTA: "They'd given Varker's parents their word, they said, that they wouldn't talk."
    Wouldn't that be obstruction of justice?
    • laola1, on 01/24/2008, -10/+10Nah, I guess it falls under the Fifth Amendment
      • skeletorcares, on 01/24/2008, -5/+8Why would you bury this?! By burying this you hate the bill of rights. The other girls were drinking too. Therefore they did not want to incriminate themselves. 5th grade gov people.
        • gquaglia, on 01/24/2008, -3/+5Digg users are very selective when it comes to the bill of rights. They apply them as it fits their needs at the time. I'm really surprised someone hasn't accused the drunk girl of being a Republican.
        • Rsulliv1, on 01/25/2008, -2/+2fifth = self; nothing to do with someone else. i'm not a lawyer, but I know that's the basic rule. it's been in the supreme court for a while now, someone was given immunity therefore she can't use the fifth to withhold her testimony.

          @ggu
          Maybe diggers try to google things and find various sources and statements to back up their claims?
      • Gabberwok, on 01/25/2008, -1/+5No, the 5th amendment only covers the right not to be forced into SELF-incrimination. If you have knowledge of a crime and are asked by a judge under oath to reveal what you know, the judge can legally hold you in contempt of court - as far as I know indefinitely until you comply.
        • pixelanteninja, on 01/25/2008, -1/+1Right, but by testifying against her, they would also probably incriminate themselves as well, as they were also underage and drinking, so they could refuse to testify under the 5th amendment legitimately, if they weren't doing anything against the law at the time it would be this contempt but not in this case.
    • ascheinberg, on 01/24/2008, -1/+7In court it might be, certainly if a judge asked they could find you in contempt, but they are not required to talk to the guy's attorney. Disclaimer: IANAL.
    • gquaglia, on 01/24/2008, -8/+3*****. She is not required to make any incriminating statements to the prosecution. Its her right under the bill of rights.
      • nonsequitor, on 01/24/2008, -3/+7The other passengers in the car have no such right.
        You have the right not to incriminate yourself.
        You have the right not to incriminate your spouse.
        You do not have the right not to incriminate your friends.
        • rnelsonee, on 01/24/2008, -2/+3Her friends aren't under subpoena, nor are they under oath. They have every right not to answer a cop when he asks them a question. Do you really think if any old cop comes up to you and asks you to incriminate your friend, you have to answer him? Like if a cop thinks he sees your underage friend run off with a beer, you have to tell the cop that, yes, your friend was drinking underage? No - you can just walk away. In a courtroom it's a different ballgame, but as TFA states, there's been no charges, let alone a trial.

          And as noted before, even if they refused to talk later on, it's contempt, not obstruction of justice (which is if they talk, but lie).
      • skeletorcares, on 01/24/2008, -6/+3Her friends were drinking too. Underage=illegal. Self-incrimination. Morjon. BURY THIS MAN.
        • Gabberwok, on 01/25/2008, -1/+6They could still be forced to testify about the accident. The only person who would possibly run the risk of self-incrimination would be the girl who purchased the alcohol for the driver.
        • Rsulliv1, on 01/25/2008, -0/+3where does it say that the friends were being prosecuted for their MIPs or underage drinking? I read that their comments were for the driver (i,e., not themselves).
          • skeletorcares, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1You're both wrong, if you are involved in illegal activity, despite age, the bill of rights, the 5th amendment gives you the right not to incriminate yourself. And since, they were also drinking, they are not required to say anything about the entire situation. This is because any admittance that the driver was drinking would also incriminate themselves since they were all involved in the same group activity. This was shown by them all wearing the same tshirt. It doesn't matter who they are protecting by protecting themselves. In total they not only protect themselves, but the driver and whomever supplied the booze.

            The girls were doing the wrong thing originally, but when it came to the law, they did the right thing by staying there and waiting for the cops/medics. The girls did the right thing, by being polite to the police, and shutting up when it's a matter for the courts. Let your lawyers handle it. You people obviously have no law experience.

            Assuming the guy was driving legally, and did not pull out in front of the girls; He quickly escalated the situation and his implied guilt by fleeing the scene. Its a cautionary tale of not running away from legal issues.
  • Rysac1, on 01/24/2008, -34/+116Just another example how rich white can get away with almost anything in our justice system.
    • bcamp1973, on 01/24/2008, -14/+72let's leave "white" out of this. OJ simpson got away with double homicide...he's not white...
      • pintomp3, on 01/24/2008, -17/+7he was an honorary white, though that membership has since been revoked. thus his recent conviction.
        • Gabberwok, on 01/25/2008, -1/+3I think the fact that he's broke now and was recorded on audiotape threatening someone with a gun might have something to do with it.
      • heystoopid, on 01/24/2008, -10/+6The racist white cops have only themselves to blame for that one !
        • Daedalus17, on 01/24/2008, -3/+4Its not the cops that hurt because of their mistake. It is the families of those who were murdered.
      • coinman987, on 01/24/2008, -1/+5at least he was charged and the case went to trial. in this case the person who caused the accident, driving drunk with a fake id and caused the death of her friend gets off free and while the person who she hit goes to jail, looses his job and has his life ruined.
      • Barbosa, on 01/24/2008, -3/+2OJ? got any more examples? wanna come to my city and see who's in jail and who's not. See who's neighborhoods are staked out by the cops? I'll take you to the projects and let you see for your self.
        • tamuengineer, on 01/25/2008, -1/+4Cops are free to come stake out my neighborhood, I don't think they will be finding too many drug dealers, hookers or murderers though. Could that be the reason they are there?
          • Barbosa, on 01/25/2008, -2/+1Where do you live on an island by yourself? The same ***** goes on everywhere, people are people and believe me if you live near people all that ***** happens whether you are aware of it or not.
        • brettmurf, on 01/25/2008, -1/+3Poor uneducated people tend to be more prone to crime. If more non-white communities are less affluent it is just to be expected that they would need more policing. I am sorry for the vast disparities between white and non-white communities, but as our society is now it is a real problem.

          I grew up in white suburban Detroit. There wasn't nearly the same need for policing as there was in Detroit. Is that racism or realism?
      • LastSight, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1dude....hes a celebrity were talkn bout some dude in the country
    • Trav3133, on 01/24/2008, -10/+11I killed 100 people and ran over 3 babies and I am White and got away free. I love the justice system.
    • BadseedJR, on 01/24/2008, -1/+19Now now now, the justice system will take your money no matter what color your skin is.
    • theasp18, on 01/24/2008, -1/+8Don't be an idiot dude.
    • Jareth86, on 01/24/2008, -3/+5Rich white WOMEN. Men can't get away with *****.
    • adrenaline33, on 01/25/2008, -1/+1Being rich doesn't mean ***** here, she wasn't even charged.
  • davidkeithjones, on 01/24/2008, -25/+95Why is America still so unequal?
    • bfdhud, on 01/24/2008, -12/+5Slavery
    • WernerCD, on 01/24/2008, -2/+22America? Do the "Rich" not live above the law elsewhere? I'm sure this happens elsewhere...
      • maisteri, on 01/24/2008, -2/+3Not really..
        • bigtmac68, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1Really? Try every western culture. Wealth = ability to hire powerful advocates and influence the people in power to protect your interests. I dont have the time to bother looking up examples, but this sort of thing is perfectly common with the wealthy elite in europe. In the third world it is even more clear, the wealthy simply are the law and are free to opresss the masses at will.

          Im not defending this system, it sucks, but it is not an american issue, it is a human issue.
    • slvrbullet87, on 01/24/2008, -5/+3well you can go try elsewhere to find perfect equality...................good luck
    • Mothrog, on 01/25/2008, -3/+3Because certain people can flee the scene of an accident, drunk and under the influence of illegal drugs, and think that it's the color of their skin that is to blame for the police coming to the conclusion that he might have caused the accident.
    • MeatyVitamin, on 01/25/2008, -2/+3Because of capitalism. There I said it.
      • bigtmac68, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1Oh, I see because the wealthy people in power in comunist systems are totally accountable for thier actions. Im sure that the royal familly of Saud gets absolutely no special treatment and pay fully for every mis step. And of course powerful rich people in third world countries are treated just the same by the law ( that they own lock stock and barrel of the guns ) as the poor who cant afford food or shelter.

        This kind of thing has been going on for as long as there have been haves and have nots.

        Again, Im not saying it is right, of course not. But this kind of issue is much bigger that simply a capitalist american problem.
        • MeatyVitamin, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1As long as there is capitalism, the whole system is capitalist. Just because a region says it is communist doesn't mean it is in a communist system.
  • whitezombie420, on 01/24/2008, -66/+26I know this will be dugg down BUT, he made an illegal turn and left the scene of the accident. i know he could make a uturn there but not when there is oncoming traffic. her drunkeness didn't cause the accident, his illegal turn did. and his choice to flee the scene is why hes in all the trouble. i'm not saying he should take all the blame, the girl should definitely punished as well, but HE is at fault for the accident because he turned out in front of her. i also know that diggers won't see it that way, its all black and white to most of you, automatically the case is about racism, but its not. thats the spin that the media put on it. i'm sure there is a lot more to the case than we know about, but from what i read he is at fault and should definitely be punished. and if no other consequences result for either party, in the least, they should both have their licenses taken away. the girl for driving drunk, and the guy for causing the wreck by making an illegal turn. which again, was illegal because there was oncoming traffic, despite the spin that story put on it.
    • sbader, on 01/24/2008, -13/+36U turns aren't illegal.
      • lydecker, on 01/24/2008, -5/+15Did you get past the first sentence?

        "i know he could make a uturn there but not when there is oncoming traffic"
        • njcarlos, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1Did you read the article? It said she swerved to avoid rear-ending him, thus she was traveling in the same direction, not part of oncoming traffic. She was drunk, most likely on his ass, and when he slowed to make a u-turn she panicked, swerved into his u-turn and lost control, thus entering a barrel roll or the like.
      • whitezombie420, on 01/24/2008, -3/+9if the oncoming traffic has a green light and you are going to get hit by said traffic its illegal to turn because you are endagering peoples lives, thats reckless endangerment.
        • Lukesed, on 01/25/2008, -0/+2She was behind him and almost rear-ended him and swerved to avoid it.
      • slvrbullet87, on 01/24/2008, -1/+4even right turns are illegal when you are going to pull out infront of somebody
    • lydecker, on 01/24/2008, -1/+70The accident could have been avoided if the girl wasn't drunk. It could have been avoided if she wasn't speeding. It could have been avoided if she had paid attention to stopping distance in front of her. It could have been avoided if she was a responsible driver. And it could have been avoided if he didn't make the turn. He should have seen the SUV.

      Death could have been avoided if a seatbelt was worn.

      Above all, he should NOT receive 21 years in prison for manslaughter.
    • typicalusername, on 01/24/2008, -11/+24Sorry bud, but if you rtwfa. It said that his turn was legal. It was more from the fact that he was running from the scene. Anyone who runs from the scene is automatically guilty in the eyes of the police. That's almost policy. I'm not saying it's right, but it's typical. You've got a black guy, who's smoking weed and a little tipsy... and an affluent teenage white girl, coming back from a trip. It's probably a little bit of a case of racial profiling, but you got to admit... It's not fair, but racial profiling works. They catch people who are usually in typical patterns of behavior.
      • lydecker, on 01/24/2008, -10/+9Read his post. It's legal to "make u-turns there" but his was not. It's not legal to pull a u-turn when there is an oncoming car. It is wreckless endangerment.

        Racial profiling should have no effect on this case, blacks do not cause more car accidents than whites.
        • MaynardJK, on 01/24/2008, -0/+23There was no oncoming car. She was coming from behind him and tried to pass in the turning lane.
        • typicalusername, on 01/24/2008, -10/+2Okay, you're a cop in someplace that's not really racial diverse. You've got a black man, who admits he smokes weed, is a little tipsy. He flees from the an accident, then admits he's smoked weed recently. You then look at the drunk teenage rich girl, now who out of these two people (at first glance) is up to some serious *****!? I can almost guarantee that if you're honest with yourself, you'd say the black guy who fled. If there's not profiling going on here, I don't know what other candidate would be...
          • lydecker, on 01/24/2008, -1/+8You don't arrest people because they are "up to some serious *****." You arrest people based on a crime. Who caused the accident is the criminal. And they both seem to have caused it.

            And drinking alcohol impairs your judgment a LOT MORE than weed.
        • lydecker, on 01/24/2008, -3/+1Oh. Wait, so was he starting a uturn in the one way traffic lane? Did he fail to have his blinker on?
        • alkajazz, on 01/24/2008, -1/+17SHE WAS ***** DRUNK
        • pintomp3, on 01/24/2008, -5/+3seems like lydecker has made up his mind about who is guilty.
          • lydecker, on 01/24/2008, -3/+2I've looked at the evidence I've been given and made a decision on who I think is guilty. I think they both are.
        • dalaeth, on 01/24/2008, -1/+4It obviously wasn't "wreckless" endangerment.
    • MaynardJK, on 01/24/2008, -2/+30The u-turn was legal according to the article. There also wasn't any oncoming traffic mentioned. She tried to pass him in the suicide lane while he was turning. At least that is what I understood from it.
      • whitezombie420, on 01/24/2008, -7/+1i thought she was in the oncoming lanes. thats how i read it anyway.
        • Rsulliv1, on 01/25/2008, -0/+2she was behind him. he slowed to make a legal turn. she tried to pass, but she clipped him.
          ALSO, the article states that the driver caused a similar accident before where she misjudged the distance between her and the car ahead of her and clipped it.
        • barkus, on 01/25/2008, -2/+0More like he clipped her...

          She was passing him on his left over the yellow centre lines... he proceeded with his U turn and clipped her. His bumper (which could only be his front bumper based on the info given) was the only damage done to his car. He was at fault for the accident.
    • imakeart4u, on 01/24/2008, -8/+14can you read, it was legal *****.
      • GeoGrapher, on 01/24/2008, -6/+5He might be wrong, but aren't you overreacting a little with the "*****" remark? Chill out dude.
    • alkajazz, on 01/24/2008, -5/+15"her drunkeness didn't cause the accident, his illegal turn did"

      Uh what?
    • capainter, on 01/24/2008, -15/+7I agree with you 100% whitezombie. The key point being that he made the U-Turn, and that he fled the scene of the accident. Its a lot like if you rear end somebody, even if they slam on their brakes for no reason, you're at fault. When there's an accident involving a U-Turn, actual fault is irrelevant, the person making the U-Turn is presumed to be at fault unless both parties agree differently (even if U-Turns are legal at that intersection, thats not the point at all in this case). Not always right, but thats just how it works. The fact that he had smoked and drank that day doesn't help his cause either.
      • Wacer, on 01/24/2008, -0/+2While I do agree with you and whitezombie, she should also be getting tickets as well. Underage drinking, seat belt violation, and using a fake ID. He should not get manslaughter as he wasn't legally drunk but should get more like careless driving and leaving the scene of an accident. Sometimes people get killed in accidents but it shouldn't mean that someone has to go prison.
    • Beakerz, on 01/24/2008, -6/+7She was driving behind him - and tried to pass him on his left (center lane) as he slowed to make the U-turn thats how he could see the accident in his rear-view mirror when he finished making the U-turn....use your damn head before you post a 3-page dumbass comment...rtfa.
    • platypibri, on 01/24/2008, -0/+12Um, I was told by a California Law enforcement officer that the woman who hit my car and fled had 24 hours to report it before it was legally fleeing the scene. Since the chased this guy and dragged him in in just a few minutes, I'd say even the fleeing the scene charge is pretty bogus. This is just crap from start to finish. The drunk debutante caused all of this. But since she's a rich kid, I guess the only option is the legislative lynching of the black man who blew a .049 (which means he drank some NyQuil, used an alcohol based mouth wash, or had a drink quite a while ago.). And I guess all of us non-blacks should just be good with it.
      • Wacer, on 01/24/2008, -0/+4I was unaware of the 24 hour rule. That isn't the law in my state.
    • max420, on 01/24/2008, -2/+13Read the ***** article! HE MADE A LEGAL U-TURN IN AN AREA DESIGNATED FOR IT!
    • N1NTENDOnerd, on 01/25/2008, -1/+1The article clearly states that he made a legal u-turn. The one thing he did wrong was fleeing the scene but that's somewhat understandable considering how freaked out he must have been. Even he admits that it was wrong though. The girl driving the SUV should be charged because she was drinking illegally and speeding. His rep from the NAACP isn't seeking to have all of his charges dropped; he only wants the police to do their job and arrest the teenage girl who was drinking and driving. Sighs. People like you only contribute to the already poor justice system.
      • icefairy17, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1It clearly says that he was in a place where he could make a legal u-turn. It doesn't say he exercised caution when making his u-turn. Just because you can legally turn somewhere doesn't mean you can just do it whenever you want. You need to wait until traffic is clear and it's safe for you to go. Maybe he didn't notice she was coming, maybe he thought he had enough time to make his u-turn... but that doesn't mean the only thing he did wrong was fleeing the scene.
    • icefairy17, on 01/25/2008, -1/+1Dugg you up my friend. That's exactly what I said the whole time I was reading the article.
    • meatbiscuit, on 01/25/2008, -0/+1You get a thumbs up from me, I fully expect to get dugg down, but the article makes it sound like this man is totally innocent. Granted, BOTH DRIVERS ARE IN THE WRONG, and I don't think he should be charged with everything with a result of 21 years in prison. But keep this in mind:

      DWAI = .05
      Wilkerson's BAC = .049

      He was 1/1000 from being impaired enough to be considered at least semi-responsible for the accident especially in conjunction with the fact that he had THC in his blood. Second, I don't see how his U-turn was legal. I know the article says it was a legal turn, but if there was a center lane, he should have been making his U-turn from there. Think about it. If you're at a stoplight with two left turn lanes, would you try and make a U-turn from the outside lane? Absolutely not. Why? Well, you run the risk of running into the person who is also making a left turn in the lane next to you. It's the same situation here. If he was making a U-turn, he should be as far left as is legally possible to avoid colliding with anyone in his lane behind him. It sounds to me like he is more at fault than the article makes him out to be.

      He had been drinking/smoking pot, and it sounds to me like his U-turn was illegal despite what the article says.

      Just my .02
  • unearth, on 01/24/2008, -14/+440I don't agree with the punishment, but the way the article is written pisses me off. They go on forever about how the guy did nothing wrong, and then they say "Oh, by the way, he left the scene of the accident." Why not present the facts straight up instead of trying to agitate the reader? He has a strong enough case without your terrible journalism.
    • SIRBERUS, on 01/24/2008, -6/+50I agree... I wanted to enjoy that article so much, and feel sorry for the guy... but the article, instead, left me with a feeling of "Well they should both be punished then"

      I mean, I'm not saying the guy should get 21 years... but I absolutely hate people who do ***** and run off...

      Especially in this case where (since he did think he did something wrong) him trying to assist the people in the car may be been the difference between life and death.

      So yeah... the girl is a douche for being unpunished, and the guy is a douche for hit-and-run, or whatever you would like to call it.
      • theutopian, on 01/24/2008, -9/+4You wanted to enjoy someone else's misery?
        • FinalSword22, on 01/25/2008, -1/+3The fact you even asked that makes you a douche.
        • SIRBERUS, on 01/25/2008, -1/+2@theutopian... Perhaps you should purchase a dictionary before you make such a dumbass comment.

          I wasn't "enjoying misery"... I was enjoying the romanticized thought of an innocent man being taken advantage of in America and actually getting press attention. I was rooting for him until they slipped the part in about him running from the scene. Perhaps if they put that first, it wouldn't have hit as hard... but they wrote it so weird and sneakily, that it just killed the whole article for me.
    • bbqribs, on 01/24/2008, -3/+44Left the scene of an accident, and had drugs & alcohol present in his system. The 'party girl in Daddy's SUV' as the article so eloquently puts it should also have the book thrown at her. She's 17 and has already been in 2 accidents? Fake IDs? Underage drinking & driving? The little bitch shouldn't be allowed behind the wheel for a VERY long time.
      • fokov, on 01/24/2008, -2/+6Exactly, I did much less and had my drivers license taken away before I even stepped into the driver seat. It lasted from 15 to 17.5 years old :( The color of your skin doesn't matter as much as the amount of money political power you hold.
    • Nicksname1, on 01/24/2008, -6/+20Yeah the author sucks at writing and sucks at life.
      • BeyondGoodNEvil, on 01/24/2008, -0/+3He also sucks.... dicks... well, probably. I'm guessing. I can't back that up.
        • sougly, on 01/25/2008, -1/+2That's a better guess than his sucking at life.