 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Man gets 15 years in boat crash death
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
"Frankly, sir, I think you would have won more sympathy from the jury and more sympathy from me if you had been truthful," the judge said Tuesday. Howard then sentenced Daley to serve a 15-year prison term -- the maximum punishment allowed by law. As the sentence was announced, Daley remained quiet and stone-faced. The Homosassa resident chose not to make a statement during the sentencing hearing. Daley, 41, testified he drank a few beers with friends shortly before the June 2, 2001 crash on the Chassahowitzka River. But he said he was not impaired.
Under sentencing guidelines, Daley faced a minimum of 10 years in prison. Citing Daley's two previous convictions for driving under the influence while living in New York, Howard chose the maximum punishment. "No one likes to hear themselves described as an alcoholic, but sir, your record is proof of that," the judge said. Howard also imposed a $10,000 fine. Esther Bonds, the widow of the victim, wept as Daley was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs. She and her husband were celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary at the Chassahowitzka River Lodge at the time of the wreck. Jimmie Bonds was test-driving a friend's johnboat in preparation for a romantic river cruise with his wife when he was struck by Daley. The impact severed his spinal cord and cut his heart. He died instantly. "I think the sentence is not enough time but it's the best we can do," Esther Bonds said after the hearing. "I think he should get out of prison at the same time I get Jimmie back." Accompanying her in court were her two granddaughters, whom she was raising with her husband. Jenna, 6, presented Howard with a collage of pictures of her late grandfather. Her older sister, 9-year-old Brianna, has cerebral palsy and suffered physical and emotional setbacks after the death. "You have two very unhappy little girls here," said Larry Bonds, the victim's older brother. Larry Bonds read a statement in court, urging the judge to impose the maximum penalty. Several times, he referred to Daley as a "drunk driving a boat" and described the rage and pain members of the family felt after the crash. "Jimmie was my brother, Jimmie was my friend," he said. "I shall mourn my brother and miss very badly my friend." Daley's fiancee, Sandy Jacobs, pleaded for leniency, saying Daley would never intentionally inflict pain on another person. "It just happened to two people who it shouldn't have happened to," she said. Defense attorney Cliff Travis also asked for a lesser sentence and noted some of the discrepancies brought out during the trial. For example, there was conflicting testimony regarding the time Daley was out on the river. Some witnesses said they saw him drinking and driving his boat in the morning; others said he wasn't there until late afternoon. Travis also said toxicology reports performed on Jimmie Bonds showed evidence of marijuana and methadone in his bloodstream. But Assistant State Attorney Richard Buxman called the information irrelevant. He also said Daley's history of driving while drunk made him a menace. After the hearing, Buxman said he was pleased with the penalty. "I think it was a proper and just sentence based on his prior record," he said. -- Carrie Johnson can be reached at 860-7309 or cjohnson@sptimes.com .
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
Citrus Times |
