Massachusetts teen sentenced to prison for texting while driving - U.S. News

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1 of 5 6/7/2012 9:05 AM Hotmail More TODAY Rock Center Nightly News Meet the Press Dateline Morning Joe Hardball Ed Maddow Last Word msnbc tv Account Home US World Politics Business Sports

1 1 of 5 6/7/2012 9:05 AM Hotmail More TODAY Rock Center Nightly News Meet the Press Dateline Morning Joe Hardball Ed Maddow Last Word msnbc tv Account Home US World Politics Business Sports Entertainment Health Tech & science Travel Local Weather Field trip crash: Dozens of students, parents injured as Ky. tour bus flips Soldier accused of lying about Vietnam Purple Hearts, Afghanistan attack F-16 scrambled after plane strays into Obama's restricted airspace Dock becomes largest tsunami debris to arrive from Japan About this blog Archives updates Follow on Twitter Subscribe to RSS 1054 comments 15 hours ago Massachusetts teen sentenced to prison for texting while driving Aaron Deveau, 18, listens during his trial in Haverhill District Court in Haverhill, Mass. Paul Bilodeau / AP By Andrew Mach A Massachusetts teenager was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison and loss of his license for 15 years for causing a fatal crash by texting while driving. Aaron Deveau, 18, was convicted of motor vehicle homicide by texting the first driver in Massachusetts to face such charges, the Boston Globe reported. Prosecutors said Deveau, who pleaded not guilty, was texting on Feb. 20, 2011, when his vehicle swerved across the center line of a Haverhill, Mass., street and crashed head on into Daniel Bowley s truck, killing the 55-year-old New Hampshire father of three.

2 2 of 5 6/7/2012 9:05 AM Bowley s sister, Donna Burleigh, said her brother suffered severe head trauma and lingered in a Boston hospital for 18 days before dying. Before imposing the maximum sentence on Deveau, District Court Judge Stephen Abany said he was sending a message of deterrence to Massachusetts drivers. Deterrence really seems to come to play in this case, Abany said, according to the Globe report. People really want to be safe on the highways. People need to keep their eyes on the road, keep their eyes on the road. David Teater, senior director of transportation initiative at the National Safety Council, agreed with the ruling and said he believes it s important to take a hardline approach on cases of texting while driving. People can violate these laws and there really isn t much of a deterrence without examples like this, Teater told msnbc.com. Clearly, being distracted is an extremely deadly thing that s going on in this country and people need to understand they just can t do it. Deveau, who was 17 at the time of the crash, was initially charged with motor vehicle homicide and negligent operation of a motor vehicle, using a mobile phone while operating a motor vehicle, reading or sending an electronic message, a marked lanes violation and two counts of negligent operation and injury from mobile phone use. Deveau s lawyer argued there was no evidence that the crash caused Bowley s death. In his own testimony, Deveau said he was distracted by the amount of homework he had to do and sent his last text message while parked in the parking lot of the grocery store where he worked. Furthermore, he said he left his phone in the passenger s seat until after the crash when he called his parents. Though he insisted he was not texting at the time of the crash and could not remember texting while driving, phone records indicate Deveau sent a text message at 2:34 p.m. and received a response at 2:35 p.m. Police said the crash occurred at 2:35 p.m., ABCNews.com reported. I made a mistake, Deveau told the judge, according to the Globe. If I could take it back, I would take it back. I just want to apologize to the family. A survivor of the crash Bowley s girlfriend, Luz Roman said she suffered emotional and physical stress after the crash and death of Bowley, the father of her three children. This has been giving me a lot of pain, there are no words to describe, Roman said, according to the Globe. Broken leg, broken heart. We hope this sends a message that it s not OK to text and drive, Burleigh said, according to the Globe.

3 3 of 5 6/7/2012 9:05 AM Texting while driving is a crime in Washington, D.C., and 38 states, including Massachusetts. This is a threat that did not exist just a few years ago, and we ve never had to understand how being connected to a mobile world was dangerous, Teater told msnbc.com. Unfortunately now the way we re beginning to understand the danger of it is by people getting hurt and dying. And that needs to change. More content from msnbc.com and NBC News: Drivers, insurance companies rebel against 'crash tax' Doctor's report on Lincoln assassination discovered by researcher Video: 7 siblings graduate at same time, all with honors 11 famed US sites named to annual 'most endangered places' list Jurors selected in Sandusky trial Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook 1054 comments Join the discussion Explore related topics: massachusetts, homicide, texting, texting-while-driving More from msnbc.com Cops: Dead baby found as car trunk cleaned From around the web Disappeared: The Jamison Family [what's this] (Investigation Discovery) Zimmerman's $99 jail shopping list includes Cheez-Its and Pop-Tarts Scene of 9-year-old girl's killing a haven for sex offenders Mississippi executes killer who fatally stabbed 4 of his nieces and nephews 11 children, some tied to beds, removed from Texas home Army trying to figure out what to do with 20,000 mine-resistant trucks (Autoblog) Off The Charts: Obama's Chances of Re-Election (Bloomberg.com) Mugshot of the Day: Falls Police Charge Ravenna Man With Felony Burglary (Patch - Cuyahoga Falls, OH) Danica can't save NASCAR (espnw)

4 4 of 5 6/7/2012 9:05 AM Browse featured, crime, environment, gulf-oil-spill, weather, us-news, military, florida, california, trayvon-martin, shooting, education, obama, texas, politics, occupy, bp, george-zimmerman, police, new-york, kari-huus, chicago, school, afghanistan, los-angeles, arizona, murder, gay, business, barack-obama, economy, winter, immigration, new-jersey, health Andrew Mach Archives June (83) May (566) April (538) March (576) February (471) January (417) Most Commented Judge revokes bail for George Zimmerman in Trayvon Martin case (3400) 'Happy kid' kills himself over bullying at two NYC schools (1310) SC mom busted at kid's graduation: 'I cheered for my baby and I got the cuffs' (1426) Appeals court: Denying federal benefits to same-sex couples is unconstitutional (3633) Other blogs The Body Odd Cosmic Log Red Tape Chronicles PhotoBlog Gadgetbox Technolog top stories Activists: Women, kids slain in new Syria massacre Crackdown on pills fuels wave of heroin addiction Obama airspace scare: F-16 intercepts small plane Dog stars in study on what stresses killer whales

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5 5 of 5 6/7/2012 9:05 AM John Edwards 'not guilty' on one count; mistrial declared on remaining charges (1248) Boy Scouts review controversial anti-gay policy (1452) George Zimmerman returns to jail two days after judge revokes his bail (2469) Massachusetts teen sentenced to prison for texting while driving (1054) Daryl Cagle's Cartoon Blog Open Channel InGame In 'new Egypt', mobs target women with impunity Thunder roll into NBA finals Soldier accused of lying about Purple Hearts Best of the 2012 CMT Music Awards Dozens of students, parents hurt as Ky. bus flips For parents: Opiate use warning signs and getting help 2012 msnbc.com US news on msnbc.com About us Contact Help Site map Careers Terms & Conditions MSN Privacy Legal Advertise

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