Eau Claire County (WQOW) - A survivor of a crash that killed three teens will spend the next nine months on home detention.
That's part of the sentence handed down because of a fatal 'hill-jumping' crash in Eau Claire County last December. Three teens were killed, two others were hurt.
The car belonged to 16-year-old Felicia Bertrang. She was accused of allowing Austin Gable to drive. He was 14. Investigators estimate he was driving 80 to 90 mph trying to get the car airborne on a hilly Walnut Road in Eau Claire County when they crashed.
Thursday in juvenile court Austin Gable's grandmother, Judy Carpenter, took Bertrang to task calling her a danger and a menace to society. Bertrang remained composed throughout the hearing but sobbed as she was reminded that Gable would have turned 15 yesterday.
Carpenter looked at her and said, "You should cry. I cry every day."
Gable's grandfather, Jerry Carpenter, brought Austin's cremated remains to court to make a point to Bertrang and all teenagers.
"She's still here. This is all we have left of our grandson. To think again and show people to think again about what can happen. This is real life. This is actual real life...what happens when you make wrong decisions. It just doesn't affect you. It affects everybody," Jerry Carpenter said to the courtroom.
In addition to home detention, Judge Jon Theisen went beyond sentencing recommendations and ordered Bertrang not to drive for one year.
He also ordered her not to use social media, text-messaging or e-mail. And she cannot use the internet unless she's at school and supervised. Those restrictions stem from allegations that Bertrang engaged in negative e-mail exchanges with members of a victim's family.
Judge Theisen told Bertrang she enabled a 'perfect storm' to occur that night leaving three people dead. He then told her "It should haunt you for the rest of your life."
After the hearing Austin Gable's grandfather renewed his vow to push for tighter driving restrictions for teens. He maintains no one under the age of 18 should be allowed to drive in Wisconsin.
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Eau Claire (WQOW) - One of the survivors of a crash that killed three teens will spend the next nine months on home detention.
That's part of the disposition in the December 'hill-jumping' fatal crash that took the lives of Marco Perez, Austin Gable and his pregnant girlfriend McKenna Johnson. Another teen, Ulises Ponce, was injured.
Felicia Bertrang, 16, owned the car and was accused of allowing the 14-year-old Gable to drive. Sheriffs investigators estimate he was driving 80 to 90 mph trying to get the car airborne on a hilly Walnut Road when they crashed.
On Thursday in juvenile court Austin Gable's grandmother Judy Carpenter took Bertrang to task calling her a danger and a menace to society. Bertrang remained composed throughout the hearing but sobbed as she was reminded that Gable would have turned 15 yesterday. Carpenter looked at her and said, "You should cry. I cry every day."
In addition to home detention, Judge Jon Theisen went beyond sentencing recommendations and ordered Bertrang not to drive for one year. He also ordered her not to use social media, text messaging, or e-mail. She cannot use the internet unless she's at school and supervised. Those restrictions stem from allegations that Bertrang engaged in negative e-mail exchanges with members of a victim's family.
Austin Gable
McKenna Johnson
Marco Perez
