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Judge sentences woman who let drunk boyfriend drive vehicle in accident that killed KSU student
By Gina Mace Special to the Beacon Journal
Published on Thursday, Nov 15, 2007
MEDINA: Nearly seven months after a head-on collision took the life of Kent State University junior Leah Karp, her family sat in a Medina courtroom Wednesday seeking justice.
But the focus of their anger wasn't directed at Brandon Boles, who was driving drunk when he collided with Karp's vehicle in Montville Township. He also died in the April 28 crash.
Instead, the family drove from Dayton to watch as Medina Municipal Court Judge Dale Chase sentenced Boles' 24-year-old girlfriend, Shay Wyatt, who owned the car Boles was driving.
They were angry that Wyatt would let her boyfriend, who had no driver's license, get behind the wheel.
Wyatt, of Wadsworth, pleaded no contest in September to one count of wrongful entrustment, a first-degree misdemeanor. Chase sentenced her Wednesday to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine.
She must perform community service, is on probation for five years and had her driver's license suspended for six months.
Chase suspended all but 10 days of the jail time and ordered that two of the days spent in jail be April 28, 2008, and April 28, 2009, — the anniversary of the crash.
Wyatt said before her sentencing she wished she could relive that spring day.
As the day's events were recalled in court, Leah Karp's mother, Lynette Karp, sobbed in the back of the courtroom.
Wyatt said Boles was supposed to be out buying a birthday gift for a family member and picking her up after work. Instead, he passed the time at two Medina bars.
Authorities say Boles' blood-alcohol level was three times the legal limit and he had cocaine in his system when he went left of center and struck the college student's car on state Route 57 in Montville Township.
That same evening, Robert and Lynette Karp were at dinner celebrat
ing their 23rd wedding anniversary when the call came that their only daughter was dead.
Leah would have been the first in the family to have graduated from college, Robert Karp said. She made the dean's list but had to work for it.
''It wasn't easy for her,'' he said.
Robert Karp said he will forever be haunted by the fact his daughter, who would call every night from college to say ''goodnight,'' lived for 20 minutes after the crash.
''She suffered a lot,'' he said.
Wyatt said she, too, grieves. She said she had no idea her boyfriend was not allowed to drive.
''Not a day goes by that my heart doesn't ache,'' she said. ''There's nothing I can do to bring back Leah Karp or Brandon Boles.''
Chase said Boles, 22, of Medina, never had a valid driver's license and had racked up several suspensions over the years.
''The cause of Leah Karp's death rests upon Brandon Boles,'' Chase said.
''He is the person who appeared to be deceptive about his license. He is the person who consumed alcohol for two-and-a-half hours. He is the person who got behind the wheel and chose to drive in a manner that caused death.''
But the judge said Wyatt's decision to lend her car, whether she knew Boles had a license or not, contributed to Leah Karp's death.
''It is the responsibility of everyone in the community who loans a vehicle to another person to know who you are loaning your car to and make an effort to make sure they are valid,'' he said.
MEDINA: Nearly seven months after a head-on collision took the life of Kent State University junior Leah Karp, her family sat in a Medina courtroom Wednesday seeking justice.
Get the full article here.
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