A Pinellas county Florida man was sentenced to 12 years in Florida State Prison for running a red light causing an accident that killed his wife. The sentence imposed by Judge Cynthia J. Newton on Joseph Schofield was more than the statutory requirements, most likely because of his lengthy driving record and prior criminal history including an arrest the night before the accident for possession of cocaine.
The sentence came as a result of Schofield’s plea of guilty last year to vehicular homicide. The facts of the case as well as an accident reconstruction of the accident showed that Schofield was driving his Honda Prelude up to 93 mph when he collided with a truck. Although the defendant took the stand to take responsiblity for the accident in the hopes of receiving a lighter sentence, the fact that he had 8 previous speeding tickets did not help his case. Vehicular homicide, defined in Florida Statute 782.071 “is the killing of a human being caused by the operation of a motor vehicle by another in a reckless manner likely to cause the death of, or great bodily harm to another.” At the time of sentencing, the Judge may consider the defendant’s prior criminal history and, in the case of a driving related offense, the defendant’s prior driving record.
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