Topeka — A northeastern Kansas man has been sentenced to 32 days in jail for his role in a traffic accident that left a bicycle rider dead.
Forty-six-year-old Randy Ledbetter, of Perry, was convicted in September of driving under the influence when his SUV struck a bicycle ridden by 40-year-old Michael Anthony Ebron.
The accident happened the night of June 13, 2009, on U.S. 24 in Topeka. The jury declined to convict Ledbetter of manslaughter, concluding that Ebron's own intoxication and erratic riding contributed to the accident that killed him.
The Topeka Capital Journal reports Shawnee County District Judge Mark Braun imposed the 32-day sentence Thursday, ordering Ledbetter to spend seven days in custody and 25 days under house arrest.
Ebron did not have a permanent address.
Comments
LJWorld.com doesn’t necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.
jackpot (anonymous) says…
House arrest. Ebron did not have a permanent address. How will this work?
esubrett (anonymous) replies…
Ebron was the bike rider.
akuna (anonymous) says…
Only 32 days for killing a man while driving drunk. Our society sucks.
toe (anonymous) replies…
Yes it does.
ksjayhawk74 (anonymous) says…
7 days in custody and 25 days of house arrest, for killing someone while drunk driving...
Good thing he didn't have any weed or they really would have thrown the book at him.
srj (anonymous) says…
30 days seems to be the norm when both people are drunk.
DillonBarnes (anonymous) says…
"Ebron's own intoxication and erratic riding contributed to the accident that killed him."
That means there is more to the story, riding a bike drunk on hwy 24!?
oz9999 (anonymous) says…
From what I understand Ebron was removed by officers earlier from a convenience store for being drunk and disorderly and was riding his bike in the middle of the road on the other side of a hill at night Any of us could've hit him drunk or sober.
cheeseburger (anonymous) replies…
Possibly. On the other hand, perhaps an unintoxicated vehicle driver might have been able to recognize and react better than someone who was driving under the influence.
fredthemechanic1213 (anonymous) replies…
Perhaps even a sober driver can't dodge a drunk bicyclist at highway speed at night.
cheeseburger (anonymous) replies…
I acknowledged that possibility with the very first word in my post. Would you at least agree that an intoxicated driver's reaction times are often slower than those of an unintoxicated driver?
kwilkins74 (anonymous) says…
Is this a joke!?! Unbelievable!!!!
Informed (anonymous) says…
Unbefreakinglievable!!!
Just when I think that there's no way Kansas can go any further down the rabbit hole, this.
skinny (Richard Johnson) says…
I wish some of the Lawrence bicyclist would stop and think when riding down the traffic lane of Clinton Parkway. You’d think they’d have a little common since and use the 1.6 million dollar bike path less than five feet away. When it comes to a 3000 pound car vs a 150 pound bicyclist the bicyclist will lose every time!!
WilburM (anonymous) replies…
As someone who does ride on the trafficway (and sometimes on the bike path), I might simply note that there is no connection to the bike path at the north end with any paved road system. This means that you can't ride onto the path with a road bike without the high risk of a flat. I stay to the far right of the generous shoulder and actually feel quite safe on the trafficway. But a good connection to the north entry of the bike path would help a lot.