GREENSBURG, Pa. -- A prosecutor will seek a prison term for a western Pennsylvania woman who has pleaded guilty to serving a half-keg of beer to teen guests at her son's graduation party, before three of them were killed in a crash about a mile away.
Sanders-Watt wasn't charged with involuntary manslaughter, because prosecutors couldn't prove the beer she served caused the crash on June 26, 2010. That's because the driver, 19-year-old Michael Simpson, had been drinking at another location before the defendant's party.
But Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck said Sanders-Watt faces a maximum of 45 years in prison and, though she'll likely receive less under state sentencing guidelines, he will ask a judge to put her in jail or prison rather than letting her serve probation or house arrest. Her sentencing will be scheduled in about three months.
Parents don't have the right to make decisions for other parents. This woman's poor judgment led to the death of three people, and any parent who serves alcohol to teenagers is running the same risk.
I've heard adults say they take the keys and make the kids stay at their home if intoxicated. That's just disgusting. Teaching underage kids how to drink is not admirable. Letting them participate in the myth that they are old enough to make mature decisions isn't helping them. Supplying alcohol can lead to many risks, from alcohol poisoning to accidents at the home.
Do you want your kid to grow up to be like Andy Dick, sobbing at a bar until closing time, and hated by all mankind? That's how people get to this stage of stupidity, contributing to their failure at an early age sets them up for punishment that takes a lifetime to recover from... if they live long enough.
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