Sentencing
Work-Release for Parents After Teen Drinking, Fatal Accident
Posted Sep 27, 2007, 10:19 am CST
By Martha Neil
The sentence wasn't as severe as it might have been for two suburban Chicago parents who were found guilty in a criminal case over underage drinking at a Deerfield High School homecoming party at their house. Two teens died in a nearby auto accident that allegedly resulted from drinking at the Oct. 13 party.
Jeffrey and Sara Hutsell faced up to a year in jail, but were sentenced yesterday to much less. Both got 30-day work-release terms, and half of his and all of hers was suspended, reports the Chicago Tribune. Judge Christopher Stride also sentenced them to probation, fines and community service, calling the incident "a mistake ... that will resonate for a lifetime."
That appears to be true not only for the Hutsells but for other parents in the Deerfield community.
"Parents are scared," says Vicki Ettelson, the mother of a high school junior. "I think that parents are going to be more alert and more vigilant in monitoring what their children are doing."
At trial, the prosecution portrayed a bacchanalian scene in the basement of the family's home, while the defense described it as a "quiet gathering." But the jury convicted the couple of misdemeanor counts of allowing underage drinking, child endangerment and obstruction of justice, as detailed in ABAJournal.com posts and a CBS News article written at the time.
The Hutsells also reportedly face tort claims.
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