Lawyer Sentenced to 5 years for Killing, Hit and Run on Cyclist



Schultz at his sentencing

The Topeka Capital-Journal has the account of the sentencing of local attorney, Marc Schultz who drunkenly killed a cyclist and drove off with his 5 year old son in the passenger seat.  In April I reported on the suspension of Schultz' Kansas law license.  An excerpt from reporter Steve Fry's CJ story follows:

"A lawyer was sentenced Thursday to more than five years in prison tied to the hit-and-run drunken driving death in September of a bicyclist in rural Shawnee County.  Based on a plea agreement, prosecutors and defense attorneys for Marc Schultz, 40, urged Shawnee County District Court Judge Dave Debenham to sentence him to a total of 43 months after he pleaded no contest to reckless involuntary manslaughter, driving under the influence of alcohol in a fourth or subsequent case and leaving the scene of an accident in which a death occurs, all in the death of Timothy Roberts, 55, the bicyclist. [ . . . ]
Instead, Debenham sentenced Schultz to consecutive terms of 43 months for the manslaughter conviction, 12 months for the drunken driving conviction and seven months for leaving the scene. That totals 62 months, or five years and two months.

In imposing the sentences, Debenham noted Schultz hadn’t stopped to render first aid to Roberts after hitting him with a station wagon but did stop to pick up parts from his damaged vehicle before leaving.

When a defendant pleads guilty or no contest in a plea agreement, the judge isn't bound to the recommended prison term.

Roberts was killed Sept. 12 when the Schultz station wagon struck him from behind as he pedaled westbound in the 5500 block of S.W. 53rd. Schultz' son, 5, was a passenger in the car.

'I commend you on your honesty in this case,' [Judge] Debenham said. 'I'm not sentencing you because you're a bad person. I'm sentencing you because you've done a bad act.'"
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There but for the Grace of God. ADSENSE HERE