HARTFORD CITY, Ind. – An Indiana woman who pleaded guilty to driving through a home and fatally striking a 74-year-old man and his 5-year-old great-grandson was sentenced to 57 years in prison on Friday.
Brandi S. Bare, 46, of Montpelier, was sentenced after pleading guilty in September to two counts each of causing death when driving while intoxicated, reckless homicide and causing serious bodily injury while driving drunk, the Muncie Star Press reported.
Prosecutors said Bare’s blood alcohol content was measured at 0.26, more than three times the legal limit for motorists in the state, when the vehicle she was driving crashed into the home of Jerry A. “Jake” Michael, of Montpelier, according to the newspaper. Michael’s great-grandson, Jenson Reynolds, was also killed.
The boy’s sister, Emma Reynolds, who was two weeks shy of her second birthday on June 2, suffered a fractured skull and a brain injury, WTHR-TV reported. The children’s father, Jerod Reynolds, was also hospitalized, according to the television station.
Prosecutors alleged that Bare drove through the home after veering off a highway and traveling through the backyard of the home, WXIN-TV reported. The car then crashed through the house before coming to a stop after hitting a vehicle in the driveway, according to the television station.
According to court records, Bare was found by authorities crying on the ground after the incident, telling police that she “didn’t mean to do it.”
Defense attorney Jarred Lee Eib recommended that Bare receive a 10-year sentence with two years suspended, the Star Press reported. Bare, who had two prior driving-while-intoxicated convictions, received credit for 207 days already spent in the Blackford County jail.
“I hope that maybe someday you can forgive me,” Bare told the families of the victims in court on Friday, according to the newspaper.
That was little solace for the boy’s mother, who directed her remarks to Bare in court, the Star Press reported.
“The trauma and heartache you have caused a family will never be forgiven,” Kaitlyn Elizabeth Strait said. “You took my baby away from me. I hope you live in hell every day for the rest of your life.”
