Man Who Dragged Stroller With Van Gets 30 Days
MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) - A judge in Muskegon on Wednesday sentenced a van driver to 30 days in jail for failing to stop after hitting and dragging a stroller with an 18-month-old boy inside.
Antonio K. Raglin, 21, received the punishment from Muskegon County District Judge Andrew Wierengo III after pleading no contest to failure to stop at the scene of an injury accident and driving with a suspended license. A no contest plea isn't an admission of guilt and cannot be used as evidence in a civil case but allows a judge to convict and sentence a defendant.
Raglin has been in jail since Sept. 22, charged with lying to police in connection with the fatal shootings of three people outside the Muskegon Elks Charity Lodge. His trial in that case is scheduled Feb. 18.
In the case that led to Raglin's 30-day sentence, police say a woman was pushing a stroller on June 25, 2013, in Muskegon when a van that Raglin was driving backed into her and the child. The woman's knee was scraped, but the child wasn't hurt.
"The defendant's incredibly lucky that he did not kill anybody that day," Assistant Prosecutor Jessica Kragness said, according to MLive.com.
She said Raglin showed "absolute disregard" for the law and for the safety of others by knowingly driving away after the accident without finding out if anyone was badly hurt.
"There's zero evidence this individual didn't know he was involved in an accident," Kragness said.
Public defender Brian Hosticka said his client left because he was scared.
"He panicked," Hosticka said. "A passenger said when he realized this happened, he cried. He felt terrible this happened ... but he could see in the rearview mirror the woman had the baby. He said out the window, `I'm sorry."'
Raglin also has a conviction for felony marijuana distribution. He was sentenced to 18 months' probation in that case.
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