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• Video Below: Andrew Schlichtemeier sentenced
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LOGAN, Iowa — Andrew Schlichtemeier expressed remorse and resolve Thursday as he faced the consequences of his actions, and the families involved faced life without loved ones.
Schlichtemeier was sentenced to 50 years in prison for killing four men who were riding motorcycles home from a trip.
The 22-year-old expressed remorse before the sentence was announced:
“What can I say that will erase the fact that my actions killed four people? These four men were great people, and their lives ended too soon. I am so sorry.”
Schlichtemeier had pleaded guilty to driving drunk when his pickup truck veered into four oncoming motorcyclists on Interstate 29 last Aug. 9.
“You had a bright future,” Harrison County District Court Judge Jeffrey Larson told Schlichtemeier. “You have ruined that by your willingness to drink and drive.
“The sentence needs to send a message, not just to you but to anyone who thinks it’s not a big deal to get the behind the wheel after drinking.”
The Iowa State Patrol had said Schlichtemeier’s blood-alcohol level measured .373 percent – more than four times the legal limit – when his pickup truck slammed into the motorcyclists in a construction area near Little Sioux, north of Council Bluffs.
The four riders — Jay Bock of Omaha; Steven Benscoter of Pacific Junction; and Dale Aspedon and Dennis Chaney, both of Glenwood — were almost home from their trip to Sturgis, S.D.
In a plea deal, Schlichtemeier will serve 50 years — two consecutive 25-year sentences and two more 25-year sentences to be served at the same time. He faced four counts of vehicular homicide, each carrying a penalty of 25 years.
Defense attorney Steve Lefler said Schlichtemeier could be paroled in 12 to 14 years if he exhibits good behavior, or 18 to 22 years “if he screws up.”
About 100 people filled the seats and lined the wall in the back of the courtroom in the Harrison County Courthouse on Thursday. Family and friends of both the victims and Schlichtemeier showed their distress throughout the hearing, with audience members planting their face in their hands while crying, placing a steadying hand on another’s shoulder or offering a hug.
While Schlichtemeier addressed the judge, he acknowledged his family: “To my family, I feel that I have let you down.”
His parents, Don and Bonnie Schlichtemeier of Murray, Neb., sat in the front row in the courtroom and were visibly emotional as their son spoke.
Schlichtemeier also discussed his alcoholism and talked about using alcohol to address his bi-polar disorder. He said he has been “sober for eight and half months, has an AA sponsor and has made strides.”
“I should be nervous on my day of sentencing, but my mind is clear. I will serve my time with dignity in tribute to the victims. I cannot begin to express how sorry I am, but I cannot change the past. I can only live each day for the future.”
Relatives of two victims also spoke.
Marty Chaney, son of Dennis Chaney, addressed Schlichtemeier: “I appreciate that you’re sorry, and I believe that you are. But it’s too late for sorry.”
Suzie Bock, the sister of Jay Bock, said she wanted Schlichtemeier to understand their loss.
“There were 1,750 people at Jay’s funeral, and double that that wanted to attend but couldn’t. Multiply that by four, and you’ll know how many lives you affected with your actions.
“You robbed him (Jay) of the chance to see life through on his own terms. ... You have left me all alone.”
Bock expressed sorrow for Schlichtemeier’s family and others who tried to help him with substance abuse and other problems.
“People tried to help you before, but now they feel they didn’t do enough. They don’t deserve that,” she said. “Mr. and Mrs. Schlichtemeier, I’m sorry your son did this to you.
“There are five families that are victims in this.”
Defense attorney Lefler asked the judge to impose one 25-year sentence, with the other three 25-year-terms to be served at the same time.
“This is not a situation where Andrew Schlichtemeier drove and killed one person and then drove down and killed another and then another and another,” he said. “This was one act.”
Charles Thoman, representing the Iowa Attorney General’s Office, recited pre-sentence findings: By 19, Schlichtemeier was drinking eight beers a night, four nights a week. By 21, it was 10 beers every day and the start of marijuana use.
“He’s a hard-core substance abuser,” Thoman said.
He noted that Schlichtemeier’s 2008 conviction for operating a vehicle while intoxicated resulted in a term of probation and treatment.
“He learned nothing from that,” Thoman said. “None of it has changed his behavior.
“The remorse does not protect the public or alleviate our wish to protect the public from him,” Thoman said. “The only remedy is a substantial sentence.”
In handing down the sentence, Judge Larson acknowledged that no amount of prison time “can bring back the four men.”
“Their families will suffer those consequences forever. Any consequences you feel will pale in comparison to the consequences for those four families.”
After the hearing Marty Chaney said, “There’s a little closure. We’re glad to move on.”
About Schlichtemeier, he said, “I feel sorry for his family, for the mistakes he’s made. Hopefully he’ll be rehabilitated (in prison). If he can become a productive member of society, that’d be OK with me.”
Video: Andrew Schlichtemeier sentenced
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