{"id":1741,"date":"2012-01-03T15:40:33","date_gmt":"2012-01-03T20:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/?p=1741"},"modified":"2012-01-03T15:40:33","modified_gmt":"2012-01-03T20:40:33","slug":"my-letter-to-nc-general-assembly-representatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/2012\/01\/03\/my-letter-to-nc-general-assembly-representatives\/","title":{"rendered":"My letter to NC General Assembly Representatives"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let’s see if this will be left unanswered….<\/strong><\/p>\n

Representative Weiss,<\/p>\n

“Just over two years ago I lost a friend, Ian Quick, known locally as \u201cSpyk\u201d, who was killed by a hit and run driver named Gavin Clifford Hawk.\u00a0 In depth details about the entire incident can be found here: https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/?p=492<\/a><\/p>\n

At the time of Spyk\u2019s death it was suspected, but could not be proven by investigating detectives, that Mr. Hawk had been drinking with his father at a Hurricanes game minutes before he hit Spyk on I-40.\u00a0 It is the suspected reason he left the scene of the fatal collision.\u00a0 I was with the family at the time authorities identified and apprehended Mr. Hawk who ultimately received the maximum sentence available in NC for a Felony Hit and Run, 24 months.\u00a0 Mr. Hawk was recently released from prison.<\/p>\n

As you may well know from media reports there has been another hit and run incident resulting in the death of Melissa Sue Johnson as she crossed South Saunders Street this past Sunday evening.\u00a0 The incident prompted my correspondence.\u00a0 As of the time of my writing investigators are still trying to identify the perpetrator.<\/p>\n

The problem is obvious:\u00a0 If and when investigators locate the driver who struck and killed Mrs. Johnson the most this person is eligible to receive is 8-24 months in prison dependent upon prior convictions etc.\u00a0 Fleeing the scene of a hit and run accident is far more beneficial to a drunk driver than hanging around to face increased charges of attempted homicide, manslaughter or murder.\u00a0 Two years is a pittance compared to the sentence levied upon conviction of any of those charges.\u00a0 The state needs a solid deterrent to fleeing the scene of an accident when death or injury may have occurred.<\/p>\n

As a constituent of Wake County, and a supporter of the family members who have lost loved ones to hit and run drivers, I humbly ask that you consider introducing legislation into the North Carolina General Assembly making a hit and run conviction a Class C Felony at minimum with a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison.\u00a0 It is currently a Class H felony, the same classification as felony possession of stolen goods.\u00a0 This is an insult to the families of the victims since, in great probability, the assailant had a reason to flee the scene that could include, but is not limited to drunk driving, outstanding warrants or an illegal immigration status.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s time for NC felony hit and run sentencing guidelines to catch up with the times.<\/p>\n

Thanks for your time.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Let’s see if this will be left unanswered…. Representative Weiss, “Just over two years ago I lost a friend, Ian Quick, known locally as \u201cSpyk\u201d, who was killed by a hit and run driver named Gavin Clifford Hawk.\u00a0 In depth details about the entire incident can be found here: https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/?p=492 At the time of Spyk\u2019s … Continue reading My letter to NC General Assembly Representatives<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1741"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1741\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1742,"href":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1741\/revisions\/1742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}