PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The woman who struck and killed a 26-year-old bicyclist last year in Ponte Vedra Beach was adjudicated guilty Tuesday, but on charges less than the victim's family wanted.
Saundra Scofield was only charged with failure to drive within a single lane in the crash that killed Sean Stevens (pictured below) in August 2013 on State Road A1A.
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She wasn't in court Tuesday, but her lawyer was. Scofield had her license suspended for six months, was ordered to pay $1,000 in fines and to attend DUI school, because she did have marijuana in her system, just not enough for her to have been impaired.
She was also told to do 120 hours of community service in an urgent care facility that treats the victims of motor vehicle crashes.
Stevens' parents are angry at the charges and went to a hearing to demand Scofield's license be revoked due to her long history of traffic offenses, including two DUIs.
"I think we did get some justice. Our desire was to get some justice for Sean," said Deborah Stevens, Sean Stevens' mother. "He didn't deserve to be brutally run down like he was. ... I think the judge did listen to us and decided that, 'Yes, something more serious than just a fine of $169 was necessary.' So I think we did prevail. I'd like to see her license gone forever, but I think we did prevail."
"I don't think the penalty was enough," said Greg Stevens, Sean Stevens' father. "She's going to continue driving just the way she has been for years. Even if they take her license away, she's still going to drive. I don't think she's going to change at all. Her record doesn't show this."
Scofield had 28 traffic offenses before the crash that killed Stevens, and she's gotten another since then.
Stevens was riding his bike to a convenience store a half-mile from his home and was in the bike lane when he was hit.
As for Scofield's traffic offenses, in Duval County, she had 22 civil citations and two criminal citations, including a DUI. In St. Johns County, she received four civil citations and one criminal citation for DUI.
The Florida Highway Patrol said those did not play a factor in the decision about charges; rather, it was about the actions at the time of the crash.