HOUSTON (October 5, 2009)—A Texas woman was sentenced to 10 years probation and fined $10,000 Monday in Houston after she was convicted of criminally negligent homicide in a crash that claimed the life of a 25-year-old man.
Prosecutors said Jeri Montgomery had just ended a cell phone call when she changed lanes and her vehicle hit a truck whose driver, Chance Wilcox, was ejected and died.
Montgomery's attorney said that his client was not on the phone at the time of the accident, but the jury did not agree.
Montgomery was also ordered to donate $50 to Crime Stoppers, must pay for Wilcox’s funeral, perform 400 hours of community service and write a 1,000-word essay on the dangers of using cell phones while driving.
