A Florida man who pleaded guilty to second degree manslaughter in an fatal accident last November in Beadle County was sentenced today.
24 year old Cedric Beauvil was sentenced to 90 days in the Beadle County jail and ordered to pay a $4000 fine plus court costs. Beauvil received a five year suspended sentence.
Judge Kent Shelton further ordered Beauvil to give 4 speeches at different high schools over the next three years on the subject of distracted driving.
Beauvil maintains he was not texting and driving when he ran the stop sign.
Shelton said that something had clearly distracted Beauvil that day and that as the driver of a multi-ton vehicle he should have been paying attention.
Beauvil was driving a semi-truck and trailer eastbound on Highway 14 when he failed to stop at the stop sign at the north junction of 14 and Highway 281.
The semi-truck collided with a 2010 Ford F-150 pickup that was northbound on 281.
The driver of the pickup, 18 year old Kennedy Tomsha, died in the crash. An 18-year-old passenger in Tomsha’s vehicle, Riley Zastrow, Evansville, MN sustained life-threatening injuries.
The court heard from the parents of Kennedy Tomsha and the mother of Riley Zastrow prior to the sentence being handed down.
Tomsha’s mother, Wendy Quinn, gave Beauvil a copy of Kennedy’s obituary to serve as a reminder of the accident that took her daughter’s life.
Tomsha’s father, Tom Tomsha, said he forgave Beauvil. He also said while he hoped Beauvil would never forget what happened he also hoped that he would be able to overcome it.
Zastrow’s mother said she hoped Beauvil would take advantage of the opportunity to educate others on the dangers of distracted driving.
Beauvil also spoke in court today, apologizing to both families. He had written a letter of apology previous to today’s sentencing.
While Shelton said he struggled with the sentence he cited Beauvil’s age and lack of criminal history as some of the factors that played a part in the state’s sentencing recommendation.