Cases | State v. Meyers, 569 A.2d 1081 | 2018
The defendant was convicted of careless and negligent operation of a motor vehicle. At sentencing, the victim expressed outrage at the tendency of the legal system to ignore the rights of victims and requested a maximum sentence. The court ordered the defendant to pay restitution in an amount not covered by insurance and to serve nine days in jail on consecutive weekends. On appeal, the defendant claimed that the victim’s statement improperly influenced the court, resulting in the jail sentence. The supreme court affirmed the trial court’s judgment. The court accepted at face value the trial court’s reasons for imposing the sentence, absent a clear showing from the record that the overbroad statement unduly influenced the sentence. The trial court discussed the defendant’s prior motor vehicle record and explicitly stated that his sentence was based on consideration of the record. Further, the court indicated the day before sentencing that he would give the defendant a suspended sentence.