Jenkins sentenced in drunken driving case

By Steve Moyer

Nevada Daily Mail

A Concordia man, David Jenkins, age 20 at the time of the crash, was sentenced to seven years on each of three felony counts, including one count of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of assault in the second degree, by 28th Circuit Presiding Judge James Bickel, on Tuesday.

The charges stem from a crash that occurred June 24, 2004 in which Jenkins and three others were injured. One of them, Jacob Crider, later died from his injuries.

According to a report by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Jenkins was driving a 2003 Mitsubishi westbound on U.S. 54 highway at a high rate of speed, lost control of the vehicle, crossed the median and struck the eastbound 2003 Dodge Penny Moore, 41, Fort Scott, Kan., was driving. Moore was taken to Nevada Regional Medical Center with moderate injuries while Jenkins and two passengers in his vehicle, Breece DeBoutez, 16, Nevada, and Crider, 22, Booneville, were first taken to NRMC and then life-flighted to Joplin. Crider did not survive.

Jenkins pleaded guilty Nov. 29, 2005, to all counts. Before Bickel sentenced Jenkins, Crider's mother, Sherri, addressed the court. Sherri described receiving the phone call every parent dreads and leaving the house not knowing what she would find at the hospital. She described the effect her son's death had on his sisters and the family. His oldest sister went into residential treatment and his younger sister receives counseling twice a week and she also wrote a letter to Santa.

"Dear Santa, I miss Jake! Will you tell Jesus that I miss him a lot, and Santa will you tell Jake that I'm fine-really!"

Sherri also said she was glad her family didn't have to decide the sentence Jenkins received.

"Your honor, we are so relieved that we don't have to decide what should happen to David Jenkins, because what we think changes from day to day. What we both consistently feel is that when you drive a car you have a responsibility to your passengers and others sharing the road to drive safely, responsibly, and sober."

Sherri went on to tell the judge that although the family doesn't hate Jenkins the sentence he got was important because of the message it sent.

"We don't hate David Jenkins, and our request for justice is not rendered in a quest of spite or vengeance," Sherri said. "At this point the death of our son is meaningless. A sentence that sends a message to others who choose to ignore our laws and drive while intoxicated could save another mother/father/sister/brother/grandparent/aunt uncle/girlfriend or friend from having to wake up everyday facing the same nightmare we do thus adding some sort of meaning to Jake's death. The stronger the sentence the stronger the message!"

Crider said later she hopes it will mean a lesson learned, and perhaps a future disaster averted. "This is all a waste of time if nobody learns anything. If it stops one person from getting in that car, then at least it puts a little bit of meaning into the death of my son."

The seven-year sentence for the first count is to be served before the sentences, both seven years, for the second two counts, which would run concurrently with each other.