Driver who downed 20 beers, killed cyclist gets 25-40 years in prison

Tue, Dec 1, 2009    to del.icio.us

Standing before the man who killed her child in a drunken driving crash earlier this summer, Lynne Jacobs said her son would want her to offer Kevin Babcock a gift.

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"I know he would want us to save you one of our Bibles," the Holland woman said of her son, Curtis, as she addressed Babcock in Ottawa County Circuit Judge Calvin Bosman's court room Monday morning. "He would want you to do something good with your life."

Babcock, 44, was sentenced to 25 to 40 years in prison Monday. He was charged with five felonies following the June 27 crash, including second-degree murder.

Babcock told police he'd had as many as 20 drinks before he struck Curtis Jacobs and Christian Van Wyngarden, both 19, as they rode bicycles near U.S. 31 in Holland Township. Witnesses reported Babcock's vehicle veering and running other cars off the road prior to the crash.

The teens, bicycling with a church group, were crossing the highway's intersection at Quincy Street when Babcock ran a red light, knocking both men from their bikes. He then fled, leading police on a 3-mile chase on U.S. 31 before he was apprehended.

Curtis Jacobs died the following day. Van Wyngarden survived his injuries.

Babcock explained that he had looked to religion and Alcoholics Anonymous for help in the past. At one point, he said, "I thought I had control over my drinking."

For more details, visit www.hollandsentinel.com