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Woman sentenced for manslaughter
PLATTSBURG, Mo. - Two families were broken Wednesday after a judge sentenced a Clinton County woman to prison on a manslaughter conviction linked to a 2006 traffic crash.
Michaela Rae Lindsey, 21, of Stewartsville, was sentenced to eight years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for the death of Joshua M. Holdsworth. She pleaded guilty to first-degree involuntary manslaughter in late September.
Clinton County Circuit Judge Stephen Griffin ordered Ms. Lindsey to immediately begin serving shock incarceration at the Clinton County Jail.
Even with the eight-year sentence, she may not serve all of that time behind bars, according to a clerk in the Clinton County Circuit Court. Ms. Lindsey will serve 120 days shock time with the Missouri Department of Corrections.
If she maintains good behavior during that time, she'll be placed on five years probation.
The pickup she was driving Jan. 14, 2006, broadsided a car Mr. Holdsworth was driving at a rural Clinton County intersection. He died at the scene.
"I'm very sorry," Ms. Lindsey said, sobbing as she faced a packed courtroom. "I just want to apologize and I'm very, very sorry."
Her attorney, Hugh Kranitz, sought leniency for his client.
"This is not meant to excuse anything," he said.
Mr. Griffin said all three families - the Lindseys, the Holdsworths and the family of a surviving passenger in Mr. Holdsworth's vehicle - have been dramatically impacted.
But Mr. Kranitz countered by saying Ms. Lindsey understands the relevance of her actions and that the message is not about underage drinking. She was 18 at the time of the wreck.
"It's about drinking and driving," he said in quoting her. "That's why I'm here.
"As tragic as this is, she gets it," he added. "(Ms. Lindsey is) almost like a poster girl for you can't drink and drive."
A state sentence assessment report showed that Ms. Lindsey has not been involved in any problems during the 2½-year duration of the case. Mr. Griffin acknowledged that she has been attending mental health counseling sessions.
When Mr. Kranitz asked for a clarification on the shock sentence, Mr. Griffin indicated it would be best for Ms. Lindsey to commence a punishment that will provide her with a chance to restart life.
"I think given the situation, given her schooling, we need to go ahead and get it over with," he said.
Ms. Lindsey had been studying cosmetology in St. Joseph, pending the case's outcome.
The wreck happened at Missouri routes NN and VV, just north of Gower.
Ray Scherer can be reached at rscherer@npgco.com.
CLARIFICATION: Michaela Rae Lindsey, 21, received an eight-year sentence but will serve four months of shock time in a Missouri Department of Corrections facility. Based upon her behavior, Ms. Lindsey may become eligible for a five-year supervised probation under the direction of the Missouri Division of Probation and Parole.
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momm69 says...
Just to clarify the article. Ms. Lindsey will only serve 4 months shock time in prison and will be released to probation for the remainder of her sentence.
So much for the empty promises of the state of Missouri on drinking and driving. The victim payed with his life. She pays with 4 months and she caused the "accident". Seems a little unbalanced.
December 4, 2008 at 9:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
heritage_sarahhochschwender says...
wow, mr. scherer certainly didn't make that clear. here i was thinking that, for once, the punishment was going suit the crime.
December 4, 2008 at 10:13 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
gkozol (Greg Kozol) says...
Readers,
This story originally contained an omission that requires clarification. We have done so in the online version and will publish clarifying information in the print edition on Friday.
Greg Kozol
News-Press
December 4, 2008 at 10:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
4wildones says...
What does the attorney mean it's not about underage drinking? She was 18 when it happened, that makes her underage. It's about drinking and driving too but she was underage to drink at the time of the wreck. I agree that 4 months shock time on an 8 year sentence is a joke.
December 4, 2008 at 11:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
motherX2 says...
I agree with 4wildones...if being 18 at the time of the accident, drinking, driving and causing an accident that caused the death of a person, and injured another. It is all about underage drinking. Who is the law for here, the criminal or the person who died? What about the parents who lost their child? Are we not thinking about them? What is 4 months compared to the lifetime they have lost with their child. We talk about stiffer laws and punishment, I definitely do not think this is stiffer punishement. What are we teaching our youth? You can drink and drive, cause a death, hire an attorney, have this held up in court for over 2 years, and then get to have 4 months in jail and if you behave in there for that time you get probation. What a punishment. I surely feel for the Holdsworth family that will never get to spend time with their child again, and to think how especially hard this must be on them with the holidays approaching. I guess my question is why should one person only lose 4 months of their life to jail and another lose their life TOTALLY!!! just don't seem fair.
December 4, 2008 at 10:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
DJ5six says...
My prayers go to all of the families involved!
I would like to comment on the severity of the punishment. Unlike most others that have posted, I don't believe the punishment is far off. We all do stupid stuff! We have all done some pretty stupid things and never had to face the most severe consequences. If Ms. Lindsey hadn't hurt anyone and made it home safely, we would lecture her about how stupid that was and then move on. Unfortunately for her, this extremely stupid act results in her paying the worst possible consequence. She was only 18 (underage, I know. Once again, non of us are exempt from making stupid decisions), she doesn't have a past of any trouble, and is a first time offender. However, we have others that are getting out of multiple DWI's with a slap on the hand. If she abides and behaves under strict guidelines for a period of time, what in the world is wrong with giving her the opportunity to start over. What if it were your daughter and you knew this was just a stupid decision and out of character? I feel the outcome of the accident is probably plenty of punishment that she's gonna have to deal with.
It is very very unfortunate for everyone involved. My prayers go for the loss. No one deserves this. For Ms. Lindsey, its a very tough lesson to learn, pick your head up and I wish you the best of luck!
December 5, 2008 at 3:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
momm69 says...
We all make mistakes, but CHOOSING to drink and drive is not one of them. I would have a hard time finding someone who did not know that it was illegal to do so. Hopefully Ms. Lindsey "learns her lesson". That's an opportunity given to her that the other two boys do not have.
Nothing that happened that night absolves her of what she did.
December 10, 2008 at 2:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JDowns says...
I dont think most of the people who have comments about this understand the situation. How many of us have had a couple beers or a glass of wine and said " Ill be alright to drive... Ive only had a couple." It may not have been last night or yesterday but it happens. It is against the law and we know that. How many of us have drank underage? I suppose none of you have done anything wrong in your wonderful little lives. Well keep telling yourselves that. You dont understand what this girl has to go through to wake up every morning and know that this happened. You dont understand. Only she can understand and feel what this is like. She was at the wrong place at the wrong time and a really bad thing happen. It could have been me or you! Stop badmouthing and saying that she got off easy and have some support.
December 10, 2008 at 10:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jo22 says...
I for one am sickened by the sentence. I think it would be different if miss lindsey would have choosen to do something good with her life. but i know that she has not. she is not even sorry and has not learned a lesson. she continues to drink and yes even when she was underage. if the judge would have known this there is no way she would have gotten off so easy!!! how can you take someones life and not do something good with your own? she put on a good show. and that is the reason she got off so easy! my heart goes out to the other familys involved, and even to the lindseys. i am very sorry for everyones loss!
January 9, 2009 at 2:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
momm69 says...
jo22,
If you see Ms. Lindsey drinking again I would call the police. Breaking her probation might land her back in jail for a lot longer.
January 12, 2009 at 10:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
howarddecker says...
heritage-
What are you talking about? The article was very clear, and I quote...
"Even with the eight-year sentence, she may not serve all of that time behind bars, according to a clerk in the Clinton County Circuit Court. Ms. Lindsey will serve 120 days shock time with the Missouri Department of Corrections.
If she maintains good behavior during that time, she'll be placed on five years probation."
Tells me she'll do 120 days in the pokey and if she's good she'll be on probation for 5 years.
January 12, 2009 at 1:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
thnkabtit says...
We all made or are making mistakes, there's no denying that. I guess this kind of tragedy would have to happen to one personally in order for one to truly wrap the mind around it. So if you're in favor of leniency for Lindsey (which she got) then imagine your own child killed in the same way the Holdsworth boy was. Imagine your own child minding his/her own business driving home when a speeding (documented speed in excess of 62 mph at impact) drunk 18 year-old who ignored a simple stop sign crashed into the door of your child's vehicle. You might thank God that death came instantly for your child in this horrific scenario, but that would be just the beginning of an anguish you deal with for the rest of your life as a parent. AND THEN comes a sentencing like she received 3 months shy of THREE YEARS after it all began because the courts in Clinton county and her attorney dragged it out for as long as they possibly could. Think about it, and see if you would feel the same leniency and have the same compassion if your child was in the same place as the Holdsworth and White boys. Four months in the Missouri Department of Corrections and 5 years probation just doesn't seem balanced consequence for her actions. If she's truly turned her life around and the impact of this has made her a changed person, then Godspeed to her. If she just jumped through hoops with a powerful attorney and spent a lot of money, well--then we'll see her name again in the news soon enough.
January 17, 2009 at 8:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )