Vassar Township Man Gets Prison Time
At his sentencing hearing on September 23rd, in Caro’s Tuscola County Circuit Court, 35-year-old Jason A. Boyd was ordered to spend two to five years in prison for a recent mud bogging incident that left several people injured.
The charges stem from an unforeseen accident that took place on May 29th, when Boyd’s truck jumped out of the mud bogging pit at an event in Vassar Township, and tore through a group of bystanders. Four people were injured, three of them very seriously. At the time of the mud bogger accident, Boyd was intoxicated.
His attorney, Gary Crews, was quick to tell the judge that it was an unfortunate accident, and Boyd had certainly been negligent, but there was no criminal intent involved. However, this was not sufficient to sway the judge’s opinion in their favor.
According to Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark Reene, the intent doesn’t change the fact that several people were badly hurt in the accident. 21-year-old Tylor Washburn of Lapeer, suffered a spinal injury which required surgery, and 25-year-old Mark Snyder of Fostoria, injured his back and leg, and was required to have rods surgically placed in his leg. A third victim sustained a fractured bone.
Washburn, who sustained the spinal injury, spoke to the judge before sentencing, tearfully explaining that, “He was five feet away from children. He has no idea what we have gone through. He’s skating through this and he shouldn’t be. I don’t think it’s fair at all.”
Crews spoke up then, saying that Boyd did in fact “understand the anguish” that the victims had experienced, and moments after the incident, had rushed over to them, hoping to provide assistance.
But Judge Amy Grace Gierhart, after hearing the victim’s impact statement and considering Boyd’s criminal history, which includes two drunk driving offenses, sentenced him to two to five years in prison for each charge, which is the maximum allowed under the state’s sentencing guidelines. “This case is a profound tragedy,” she told the court. “Each victim has endured their own personal hell as a result of Mr. Boyd’s choice to drive.”
The three sentences will be served concurrently, which means that Boyd will serve only two to five years in total. His sentence also includes payment of court costs and restitution fees, but at the time of sentencing, restitution had not yet been determined.