The family of a Nebraska woman killed in a car crash is furious about a judge’s decision not to heavily penalize the 21-year-old behind the wheel.
Relatives say his sentence of about three months is simply a “slap on the wrist” for a crime that shattered their world.
On Thursday, Jan. 12, Douglas County Judge Jeffrey Marcuzzo ruled Jonathan McDougald, a man charged with misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide for fatally running into a 35-year-old Regina Bright during a car collision in Omaha, Nebraska, in March 2022, will face 90 days in jail and two years probation, according to KETV.com.
The judge also mandated the young man seek evaluations for behavioral and mental health because it was determined during the trial his aggressive actions during the accident were intentional and motivated by anger.
Bright’s friend Precious Clark said in November after McDougald’s no-contest plea that “if he gets off of this, it opens the door for other young people to think that they can be mad and angry and go out.”
“And just because you weren’t drunk or under the influence does not give you a right to not be able to handle your emotions and go out and drive and be reckless and careless,” she added.
Police reports say on March 22, Bright was driving her 2017 Jeep Compass when she encountered McDougald on the roadway. They both attempted to make a left turn into the gas station at the same time. McDougald was speeding at 66 mph in a 35 mph zone when he crashed his 2011 Chevy Impala into her SUV, causing her unfortunate demise.
The collision of the two vehicles caused her Jeep to bang into a utility pole, spin clockwise and land on its driver’s side, Omaha.com reported.
Bright died on the spot.
McDougald sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Nebraska Medicine to be treated.
The sentencing sparked outrage among those who loved Bright, with her mother, Veronica Constance-Bright, being one of the…
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