The Ocala man lost control after a Christmas party in 2002, causing a wreck that killed two.
By COLLEEN JENKINS
Published March 5, 2004
INVERNESS - Circuit Judge Ric A. Howard sentenced an Ocala man Thursday to serve 30 years in prison for driving drunk and killing two Citrus County men.
Ralph M. Wagner, 51, pleaded no contest in late January to driving under the influence and DUI-manslaughter charges.
Prosecutors said tests showed his blood alcohol content was 0.153 and 0.154 early the morning of Dec. 14, 2002, when the crash occurred. That's almost twice the 0.08 level at which Florida law presumes that someone is unable to safely drive a motor vehicle.
Wagner was driving home to Ocala from an office Christmas party in Gainesville but ended up in Citrus County, Assistant State Attorney Richard Buxman said Thursday afternoon. On State Road 44, just west of Gospel Island Road, he lost control of his van and caused a three-car wreck about 3 a.m.
The occupants of one car, Donald Lee Bland and Samuel Gator Shetrone, both 24, died instantly.
Thursday, Wagner walked into the courtroom with dozens of family members and friends to learn his sentence. He had made an open plea to the court, meaning he had not reached any sentencing agreement with prosecutors. The judge had the discretion to determine a sentence without a jury trial.
Relatives and friends of Bland and Shetrone packed the other side of the courtroom for the tearful, two-hour hearing.
One by one, those who knew the victims stepped up to speak of two lives cut tragically short.
Bland, of Floral City, was a witty and generous man who loved his family and wrote poetry, they said. Shetrone, of Hernando, loved NASCAR racing, civil war re-enactments and farming.
At some moments, the victims' families expressed their sympathy for Wagner, a father and grandfather of many young children.
"The pain I feel now is as fresh as the day I was told by the Florida Highway Patrol he was dead," said Bland's stepfather, Ronald Snell, reading a letter written by the deceased man's mother. "I forgive you, but I will not forget."
Others asked the judge to show no mercy, arguing the victims had been given none by Wagner. They demanded the maximum sentence possible.
"My son's life was taken because of a stupid, tragic and most senseless act," said John Shetrone, who said he places a picture of his son next to him each week at church.
Wagner's attorney, Charles Holloman, argued that this incident was not reflective of his client's character. He and numerous work colleagues described the man as brotherly, caring and family-oriented.
A neighbor said the only thing he ever saw Wagner drink in excess was a "mason jar full of cream soda."
All those who testified on Wagner's behalf, including his teenage daughter and son, said he had shown remorse since the day of the accident.
"No matter how difficult this is, it's important that I take responsibility for it," the witnesses recalled him telling them. "Don't pray for me. Pray for the victims."
On Thursday, Wagner turned to Bland and Shetrone's families to explain how the accident happened. He said the week before the accident had been tough; he had been working and caring for four children while his wife, Laurel, was out of town.
He wasn't a regular drinker, he said.
"I was more tired than drunk," he said of that night.
"I want to apologize to all of you for taking away something so dear to you," he said, choking back sobs. "I'm truly, truly sorry."
Buxman countered the defense's claim that the accident was an isolated incident. Wagner served some time in a Texas prison during the 1970s and then received a suspended sentence in Hillsborough County in 1990 for vehicle theft.
The night of the accident, people at the party in Gainesville tried to persuade Wagner not to drive, Buxman said. One person told police they saw him drinking straight from a cognac bottle.
The assistant state attorney asked the judge to stick to sentencing guidelines, which called for Wagner to serve between 20 and 32 years in prison.
Howard responded with two consecutive 15-year sentences for each DUI-manslaughter count.
"The devastation of your drunk driving that night is eternal," the judge said.
