COURT CASE STORY – You are writing a hard news story for tomorrow’s ER. Use hour/martini glass structure, blind summary lead and hard news style.

Facts of crime:

• Troy Lee Hovey, 37, former sprint car racing driver, was driving drunk on August 6
• He was going between 60 to 80 mph on The Esplanade
• Crashed through a wooden barrier
• Started driving northbound in the southbound lane on Highway 99
• All occurred at about 9 pm
• Forced one car off HWY 99,
• Hovey then collided head-on with Amit Tandon's catering truck
• Tandon, 32, owned Guzzetti’s Catering and Indian Food
• Tandon was killed
• Another individual, driving a vehicle behind Tandon, suffered minor injuries
• Hovey was nearly 3x the legal limit
• Last month, Hovey had pleaded no contest to:
• A felony charge of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated
• Driving with more than .08 percent of alcohol in his system
• This could have carried from four to 10 years in prison.

The case concluded today with a sentencing hearing:

• Heard by Butte County Superior Court Judge Robert Glusman
• Deputy district attorney Glenn Jennings also took issue with probation in the case, saying it would send the wrong message.
• Defense attorney Jodea Foster
• Testimony about both the victim and perpetrator was read or spoken
• About Tandon:
• Left pregnant widow, Deepika Tandon
• The judge remembered buying food from him at the Thursday night market
• Was well-known and liked in Chico
• About Hovey
• Father of 3
• Lacked prior criminal record or
• Lacked history of alcohol offenses
• Used to have an overeating problem – got gastric-bypass surgery
• Foster: Hovey rarely drank prior to the surgery
• Foster: Hovey began to substitute alcohol for food
• Foster: Hovey two times voluntarily admitted himself for treatment at Enloe's Behavioral Health Clinic; was in outpatient care at the time of crash
• Showed obvious remorse
• Demonstrated desire to overcome his current drinking problem
• Decision:
• Hovey placed on 3 yrs probation
• Hovey given 180 days in jail.
• Hovey must complete a 9-month DUI school
• Install an anti-alcohol interlocking device on his vehicle and will lose his license for one year.
• Reaction:
• Jennings said the ruling would send the wrong message.

QUOTES introduced during hearing:

Butte County Superior Court Judge Robert Glusman:

• "I know this won't happen again. I expect Hovey to embrace recovery."
• "If I find you're drinking, I'll be the last person you want to see. I presided over the DUI calendar in the past and have always sentenced harshly"
• “This is a difficult and heart-wrenching case"
• “Deepika Tandon’s letter is moving and eloquent. My heart goes out to her.”

Hovey sent letter to wife of victim:

• "I have no excuses. I wish words would somehow lessen your pain.”

Victim’s wife, Deepika Tandon addressed the court in a letter. It included the following:

• "Troy Hovey is a murderer. He not only murdered my husband, he also murdered my dreams"
• "You stole a wonderful man not only from his family, but the entire community. He touched so many lives. He made Chico a better place to live."
• She also asks for the maximum ten year sentence for Hovey