After pleading guilty last month, a judge sentenced Jeremy Jordan to five years and eight months in prison this morning.
Jordan is the man who sped out of a Safeway parking lot after being denied purchase of beer and struck Eric Davidson as he rode on NE Fremont street back in May.
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The crash left Eric Davidson with a brain injury that he may never recover from.
According to KGW-TV, who was in the courtroom this morning, in addition to the prison sentence, Jordan will, “not be able to have a drivers license for eight years and he will be watched closely under post-prison supervision for the three years following his release.”
Eric’s wife Anna-Carin Davidson continues to share her thoughts about the saga on her blog.
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Glad to see the guy got jail time. Not sure if it is enough, but this is a step in the right direction.
I’d like to see his wages, above a poverty level, garnished for the rest of his life to support Eric’s care and family. It would only be fair. A motor vehicle is a lethal weapon, don’t use one drunk!
My thoughts to Eric, his loved ones and care givers. My hopes for continued healing.
you know eric had a BAC almost 5 times the legal limit… he was culpable for his accident as well.
He should lose his DL for life. All for beer after hours, and poker game. Doesn’t seem like justice has been fully served. I hope Jordan becomes someone’s bitch and lives in fear for 5 years and 8 months. The dude was drinking beer and gambling illegally at Fremont Ridge, was going to get beer so they could finish the poker game at a house in NE, tries to steal beer gets caught almost kills a person leaving, and this is all he gets. I hope he dies in prison.
I’m glad to see that this guy will have some time to think about what he did and won’t be able to do it again for quite some time. I’m also glad to read that the victim is making some progress albiet slow, in his recovery.
But, I went to the Oregonian site to read the story they had, and what is the first line I read under a random bicyclist photo?
“The large number of bicycle commuters and riders in Portland has contributed to a number of bike/car crashes in the past year, worrying city and law enforcement officials.”
I’m sorry, but did the large number of bicyclists in Portland contribute to this guy getting behind the wheel drunk? Did all the bicyclists cause him to speed out of the parking lot?
Even when the justice system gets it right, it seems some members of the media still want to blame bicyclists for problems on the road. It appears that this crash had nothing to do with the large number of bicyclists on the road in Portland, so it seems irresponsible to link that fact to this accident.
Jeff,
i noticed that caption right away too. it’s ridiculous and I’m not sure why they wrote that.
i’ve emailed the reporter who wrote the story (although he likely didn’t write the caption) for a clarification.
interesting to know that you also noticed it and were upset.
“I’m sorry, but did the large number of bicyclists in Portland contribute to this guy getting behind the wheel drunk? Did all the bicyclists cause him to speed out of the parking lot?”
Of course not, but with more cyclists on the street it is more likely that a cyclist will be present when some asshat climbs into his car drunk. Which is a perfectly factual statement, and the oregonian was pointing out that the Powers That Be find this worrying, which is also a factual statement, and seems pretty relevant to somebody nearly being killed in just such a situation.
I also noticed it too. And I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before the ever-insightful oregonlive commentary brigade tries to tie in some ridiculously off-topic gripe about taxes, gun control or immigration….
“The large number of bicycle commuters and riders in Portland has contributed to a number of bike/car crashes in the past year, worrying city and law enforcement officials.”
Isn’t this an really an admission that there will always be stupid, drunk morons behind the wheel of lethal weapons creating a hazard to all road users? I think it says more about the publics [lack of] belief in the deterrent effect of jail sentences like this.
As others have pointed out, his future hinderances are paultry compared to those of the victim. Let’s hope universal Karma makes up the difference AND extracts a penalty.
RE: the photo and false caption on the Oregonian website.
I’ve heard back from their online editor. The photo has been removed. Just for the record, I captured a snapshot of it before it was taken down:
The caption read:
And here’s what a source at PDOT emailed to me when I asked if the caption was true:
I’m glad the Oregonian acted quickly and removed this false, fear-mongering caption and misplaced photo from their story.
Dave (#5) – it’s not a factual statement. Have any studies been done? What basis are they using to claim that the number of cyclists has any bearing on the number of bike/car crashes, as opposed to increased disregard for traffic laws, reduced enforcement, the lack of a vehicular homicide law, increased instances of road rage or drunk driving, etc.
It’s a hearsay statement until they produce some statistics, not fact. This statement was made apparently without any research into other possible causes. That’s an unforgiveable sin for a purportedly objective news source, and the Oregonian should be ashamed of itself.
As a comparison… 21 years ago in Phoenix, AZ, a drunk driver hit and killed my brother (18yrs old, riding a bike at the time). My family, friends, and members of MADD showed up at the hearings, and the judge called everyone a bunch of “activists” (pejoratively). When the judge asked my Mom how long she thought the sentence should be, she said 50yrs, as that’s how much time he had stolen from her son and her family, and he was incredulous.
The defense attorney repeatedly asked my Mom if her son knew how to ride a bike, had been riding a bike very long, etc.
The driver tested for > .28 BAC 1 hour after the accident. Multiple past DUI’s and concealed weapons charges.
He was sentenced to 8 years, and was out in 4 for “good behavior”. Down the court hall, we heard (second hand) that a drunk driver who had hit and paralyzed the Mayor of an adjoining town was sentenced to > 20yrs.
My thoughts go out to Eric and his family. Time softens, but never heals the pain from these incidents. No amount of retribution can ever right such a wrong. Clearly Jordan, at the very least, needs his privilege to drive taken away for life.
Ron
This sentence won’t undo the damage Eric suffered, nor the suffering that he and Anna are enduring. It is, however, about as good as current law permits, and much more than just a slap on the wrist. We should continue to motivate the BTA, the city of Portland, and the state legislature to work to change the laws to protect vulnerable individuals and prevent these incidents from occurring. Let’s recognize the fact however, that the courts, the DA and the police did a good job – the system WORKED, at least in as far as the law allowed it to.
When there are so many instances we can point to where an inattentive or abusive motorist caused serious injury to a cyclist or pedestrian and received merely a slap on the wrist, it didn’t happen in this case, and we should recognize, appreciate and VERBALIZE that fact while continuing to push for change.
if the system “worked” eric should have been cited as well for DWI
“Jordan will, “not be able to have a drivers license for eight years””
So, does that mean he’ll have to get around by bicycle? Oh, the irony…
Jeremy Jordan got what he deserves. And, I don’t hope anything bad happens to him in jail but I do think they should garnish wages for cases like this like was suggested. The biggest problem is thousands of people did what Jeremy Jordan did but only a handful are as unlucky. That means thousands of people don’t think too much about the problems or think it could happen to them and therefore even stiffer penalties don’t help. Enforcement against drunk driving does. But, it’s not only drunk drivers. When I drive I try to be a good driver but I know I’ve done things without enough that that could have killed someone in the wrong place at the wrong time because I didn’t take enough time to think–all this while perfectly sober, rested, etc. I think we need to realize that cars are lethal weapons and even in the best case scenarios with the best drivers accidents can happen. This is why we need infrastructure specifically aimed at avoiding these accidents. Yes, drivers have responsibilities but if you want to see “Vision 0” you need the infrastructure too.
Best wishes to Ana and Eric.
#13
Accidents are avoidable. The choice was made to get drunk at a tavern, the choice was made to sit in a bar and play texas hold’em, gamble cash money, wait until 2:30 when they all got kicked out of the bar, people told Jordan you can’t by beer, it’s after 2:30am when he left. He chose to try and take the beer without paying, he chose to get into the car and speed out of the parking lot. All avoidable, he made the decision. There is no excuse for those actions. Oh, we all make stupid decisions in life, but not all of us make those mistakes. If you drink, don’t drive. Don’t take things that aren’t yours. Those are basic, if you can’t live up to those standards there is something wrong. He doesn’t deserve to drive, and he can’t undo what he did, so maybe a more harsh penalty should be given, so others can learn from his horrible mistake. Not accident, what he did was completely avoidable. Maybe what he did will make you think before you act. You wrote “…I’ve done things without enough that that could have killed someone in the wrong place…” If riding a bicycle down the right side of the street is being in the wrong place, you need to gather your thoughts better. And start thinking before you act, or you may end up in Jordan’s spot. It’s really basic, you learned it in pre-school, think before you act.
And how do you garnish Jordan’s pay check. People don’t get paid in Prison.
Any drunk driver needs to have lifetime and automatic wage deduction when the damage to the victim is also unpaid or for a lifetime or limits their ability to earn a wage. Plain and simple, a law needs to be passed.
And we need to call the Oregonian for their ongoing bias. I can’t believe their photo caption which means “bicycle …riders …..contributed to a number of …. crashes” Contribute? How, by leaving the frekin bike rack? Heck, last year 2 bike shops were hit by cars. With reporting or logic like this an Oregonian reporter could say “bike related buildings contributed to a pair of crashes last year”
here is where to call or email the Oregonian
http://biz.oregonian.com/newsRoster/
This whole story makes me very sad. Jeremy Jordan has received a substantial sentence and deprivation of privilege. That’s something. As far as who is responsible here, the burden of that goes beyond these two guys…Jordan and the guy he ran over with his car, Eric Davidson.
As a society, we tend to contradictorily sanction this business of getting stinking drunk, and then going around as a person would normally. Being baddass and all. I haven’t forgotten the following sobering reminder from editor Jonathan Maus’ last article on this story:
“Jordan, who was angry at being refused alcohol by the store clerk, left Eric lying in the road and was arrested a short time thereafter. Jordan had a blood-alcohol level of .18 and Davidson had a blood alcohol level of .25.*” Maus
That’s right; according to the above statement, the injured person, Eric Davidson, the person attempting to ride his bike down the road, was more drunk than Jeremy Jordan, the guy driving the car.
With those levels of intoxication, neither one of these two should have been operating any kind of vehicle on any road or anywhere.
Maybe Jordan’s wages, once he gets out, assuming he’s ever again able to be legally, gainfully employed, should be garnished. Eric and his wife, Anna are probably going to need the money, for sure. At the same time, as a society, we have to hope that Jeremy Jordan can somehow put things together to become a better person than the disaster area he is today. The effect of the punishment assigned to such people should be considered very carefully for the different kinds of outcome it might produce.
The fact that Jeremy Jordan was out on 6 months bail and had ample amount of opportunity to run, hid and flee, but, did not, shows his true character and remorse for his irresponsibility.
Had Jeremy been the criminal, un-repentful scumbag that so many perfect, ‘Godly’ Portland Cyclists and others, (that never make mistakes and are well above that) profess and swear by God that he is; then Jeremy would have and could have quite easily left and fled Portland while he was out on bail.
Jeremy DID NOT.
What Jeremy did do is accept the consequences of his poor actions. He took responsibility and accepted his fate.
Jeremy woke up that morning, dressed himself, and gave the mother of his child and his daughter a hug and a kiss good bye. Knowingly so that that would be their last in 6 years.
— A man of poor character would never do that.
Something I’m sure many of the ‘Godly’ cowards and cyclists here that post here would not do.
These ignorant, half-witted, tunnel-visioned, narrow mined Neanderthals need to open their little pathetic eyes.
You must recognize and accept this. It is a fact.
It also says more about Jeremy then any court or anybody else could say.
Jeremy is sorry and repentful for his irresponsible actions.
This does not change the fact or reverse the damage he has done to Ace and Eric and their respected families. Nobody nor myself is proclaiming that.
What it is saying is that the fact that he woke up one morning and voluntarily gave himself (and in other respects, his family) up to the courts and the system to pay his dues shows his real character.
Had Jeremy Jordan been the scum that so many here manifest that he is. Then Jeremy would have been long gone and left Portland a long time ago.
This is a tragic lesson in the consequences of of drinking and driving — be it bicycle OR car. So remember the next time you or a friend gets smashed, or even just tipsy. Operating a vehicle in that state might lead to permanent brain impairment or five+ years in prison. Isn’t it cheaper to get a cab?
(I don’t know if Eric could have avoided this accident if he were walking and/or sober.)
Mountain Biker (#17):
Indignant aspersions won’t help this discussion. This is a case of poor judgment on both sides, but as is typical in car-bike collisions, the cyclist suffers the greater consequences.
Instead, how about you answer this: how can we prevent this from happening again? How can we finance such preventative measures, if they need financing? How do we keep drunk people from operating vehicles? Is there any kind of infrastructure that could mitigate these scenarios without deleterious side-effects? Is education needed, and if so, how to do it? What if Eric were a pedestrian instead of a cyclist (in which case he’d be unlikely to have been illuminated)?
So… accidentally hitting someone with your car, 5 years.
Purposefully attacking someone with your car, 45 days.
What!?
#17
So it’s ok that he left someone on the road to die? All you have to do is say your sorry?
It seems like we live in a culture that increasingly expects the rest of us to heap praise on people for doing the minimum necessary in terms of common decency.
Mountain Biker – do you really expect us to give someone credit for following the orders given to him by a court of law? Has our society really sunk that low?
“Jordan, who was angry at being refused alcohol by the store clerk, left Eric lying in the road and was arrested a short time thereafter. Jordan had a blood-alcohol level of .18 and Davidson had a blood alcohol level of .25.*” Maus
“That’s right; according to the above statement, the injured person, Eric Davidson, the person attempting to ride his bike down the road, was more drunk than Jeremy Jordan, the guy driving the car.”
Not so obviously true-
The injured probably had his blood drawn at the time of the injury (or shortly there after)… while the the driver didnt have it tested for several hours because he FLED THE SEEN OF THE ACCIDENT, failed to render aid, left the bicyclist for dead… not the actions of the upstanding guy you try and paint him as.
I bet her was far drunker than .25 at the time he drove off.
the .18 was a time based guess. his BAC at the time had him within legal limits
I was not aware that both of them were buzzed at the time of crash. That will likely play heavily in any civil settlement. I am really not sure how I feel about that.
what civil settlement? The insurance money on the car is already spent, whatever other equity the driver has will be gone, and the after the judgement he will most lilely simply file for bankruptcy- the bicylist will probably never see and real amount of money from the driver.
Also remember that the motorist was fleeing the seen of a criminal act when he hit the driver…
O.K. Duncan, Jordan acted stupidly and criminally. So, lock him up, throw him to the abusive wolves in prison, because he deserves this for having injured someone, perhaps irreparably. Is that about right? Are you giving any thought to what he may be like when he gets out, or what he’ll do, or be able to do once he’s out? When he does get out, we’re all going to have to live with him again.
By the way, you may be confusing my comment #16 with mountain biker’s comment #17. I don’t believe my comment characterized Jordan as an upstanding guy. I do though, believe its important to carefully consider the outcome of different types of punishment and treatment of people that have done wrong.
well what would you do bob? a pat on the back? yell him it is OK because his mother spanked him? Whatever the conditions of the prison system, he is there because he made a series of bad choices which he freely made- and now he is sufferring the consequences of those actions. He CHOSE to drive a car intoxicated, CHOSE to try and steel alcohol and CHOSE to speed away and those choices led to him hitting a bicylist, chose to think of himself before the person he had hit and drive home, and thus he chose to go to prison.
Whatever Mountain biker says, I say leaving the scene makes him a man in need of a spinal infusion. Grown ups dont run from their mistakes.
What happens there isnt my doing, it is his own. What becomes of him is his choice. Many people do their time in prison and leave to live productive lives. I certainly hope he does, however for the law to have meaning there have to be real, and yes unpleasent, consequences for violating it. Prison conditions are a seperate issue, and one that should be adressed, however this isnt a prison reform website…
I do not know how old you are Bob, but I remember when DUI was treated like a ticket, and people did it a lot. Now, because of increased enforcement it is less common. I would prefer that we be more like Canada where rules require that DUIs serve jail time for the first offense.
In all honesty, while part of me would prefer that he spend the rest of his life in jail, I feel that the sentence is just: it is long, and as such hopefully a deterent to those who would drive drunk, but not so long that his daughter will never know him. He will never be able to undo the wring he has done, but he has five years to ponder on how he can make the next half of his life more productive than the first half.
I don’t know if the prison term is long enough. Yesterday, November 21, KGW reported on a story where a young man drove drunk, killed a young mother after he drove through a stop sign. That young man got 6 years in prison. Here is the link http://www.kgw.com/video/video-index.html?nvid=306541&shu=1
The fact is, DUI charges aren’t strong enough. If you drink, don’t drive, walk home.
I’m not sure what the best way is. I think a lot of people also wonder what the best way is to help people like Jordan become better persons. Despite that, there still seems to be a tendency to simplify the response to situations like this by imagining that a lot of years in confinement plus reducing their earned income is going to correct the problem.
Near as I can tell, prison, from a lot of different perspectives, isn’t a particularly healthy place. Whatever happens there, I don’t think society will benefit from a guy coming out of prison being more of a danger than the one that went in years before.
Making prison sentences harsh without concern for the consequences of that, or impairing a released convict’s ability to legally earn a living for himself once outside could contribute to the creation of an even meaner, more criminal person than they were before confinement. This is something people should be aware of.
More attention needs to placed on what happens to people once they land in prison. Probably even more important, are efforts addressing various attitudes that lead to people acting irresponsibly and criminally before they actually do something dangerously stupid, and get thrown in prison.
From what I’ve been able to tell, reading news stories, Jordan had been behaving like a wildman before this serious collision. I’d bet that either someone, or certain cultural influences were encouraging him to be that way; the drinking, the obnoxiousness and so forth. Emphasis on the need to counter those influences with reality and social responsibility needs to be stronger than it is today.
Bob:
“…Cultural influences were encouraging him to be that way…” Thats an assumption, and does that matter? An adult should be able to make there own choses and decisions, and if something influences that decision, fine. But that is still not an excuse. Further more, if something, or someone, influenced his decision to drive after being told not to go by beer after 2:30am, by other drunks, hitting a person, inflicting life long injuries, and leaving the accident, well he’s still a threat to society. Proven by Jordan himself. I’m not perfect, nor do i claim to be, but i’d never be in that situation. I drink, but i don’t drive to bars, and i don’t drive after drinking one beer. If a person, such as Jordan, is so influenced by culture (What culture says it’s ok to drink and drive?) or peoples that he thinks that behavior is excusable then we have bigger problems. These types of individuals shouldn’t be allowed in general population. The type of people who leave others for dead. There is no state of intoxication that i would just leave someone to die in the middle of the road. And show me what cultural influence says that behavior is OK?
You can write a thank you note to the Oregon Supreme Court because they decided in their infinitie all seeing wisdom that DUI checkpoints are unconsitutional. Perhaps if the Oregon Supreme Court realized that driving is a privelege, not a right then they would be able to understand that it is consitutional to impose DUI checkpoints for cars.
Pay me no mind. I don’t mean to offend anyone. I’m interested in what people that confidently approve a sentence, think about what’s to become of the person sentenced, and what effect they might have on society once they’re out again after serving time.
I think Jordan should be removed from the public for awhile, to avoid having him cause further injury to members of the public. So, from that standpoint, the sentence of 70 months is good. As to what happens to him; what changes he goes through and what structure in the penal system exists to direct the outcome of those changes in a socially constructive way….that is something to for everyone to probably be aware of and concerned about.
Once he gets out and can make a living, if possible, he probably should feel compelled to contribute a percent of his earnings to a fund supporting victims of criminality. How to juggle everything; the percent amount relevant to a livable income so as not to destroy morale and all incentive to independently, legally make a living… I think about that sort of thing.
I actually know someone that did some stupid things about 10 years ago. Unlike Jordan, this person didn’t manage to injure anyone. Just property damage, yet the crime itself was serious. They’re serving 20 yrs. In terms of physical age, the best part of this person’s working life is rotting away in lockup. The family is very concerned about what this person is going to be able to do for an income after release, how readjustment to the real world will go, and so forth. This person has restitution to make up when they get out, too.
There are a lot of really messed up people all around us in our day to day lives. They’re our friends and neighbors. I think maybe we’re not watching over each other closely enough. If someone had been in the case of these two guys, Jeremy Jordan and Eric Davidson, it’s likely that neither one of them would have been on the road that night, given the state of drunken-ness they were in.
Mountain Biker…
His true character? Because he didn’t run away from his family you see him as having upstanding character? You are pointing to a single event and arguing character, the one thing you question people doing here.
Guess what, all his actions define him. His character is defined by what he did that night and what he chooses to do now. He was a drunk, he left someone to die, he was more concerned for his beer and his own ass than he was for his baby and a dying man on the street.
What has he done for Ace and Eric? How much has he done to help out that family — the family he single-handedly destroyed along with his own family?
Come back with those answers and then we can talk “character”.
#17 get real. He left someone in the road to die because he didn’t want to go to jail. At some point after getting home he probably realized that his license plate had come off and he was going to get caught. Yes that is right he hit someone so hard it ripped the license plate off his car!
Getting away was initially more important than helping the person who he had just hurt very badly. Later he decided he would rather do the 3-4 years that he will probably be in jail with time off than be on the run for the rest of his life, that is why he didn’t flee while on bail, not because he is a good person.
I think that the real problem is that we have laws that encourage folks like JJ to run from the scene of a crime like this in hopes of getting away with it. Hit and Run should have a larger punishment than a drunk driving accident so we quit encouraging people with no morals at all, and yes #17 I am looking straight at your friend jeremy here, from running away from the scene of injury accidents.
Bjorn
The same kind of thing happened a few years ago in Corvallis a few years back when Amy Stack hit Robin and then left her to die in a ditch while she went home to have some pizza and sober up before turning herself in. These people are in a word “disgusting”. When you cause someone to be hurt you stop and help them you don’t run off.
With the revocation of this driver’s ability to have an Oregon drivers license after their release from prison…there should also be mandatory counseling on how to effectively use transit and a bicycle as transportation. Just so he (and others) do not relapse and get thrown back in jail for a moving violation (or perhaps fleeing a crash for driving without insurance, etc.).
Perhaps the legislature could add this class of rider to receive a reduced price (or free) transit pass…due to the court imposed mobility restriction. Perhaps his parole officer would issue the pass?
(I know it sounds odd – to give this type of ‘benefit’ – but it would be best for him to be employed and working on reentering society effectively…and towards restitution.)
#35 a friend of mine was recently without his license due to a drunk driving conviction. During the time that his license was revoked he received the honored citizen discount on tri-met because of a note from someone at the counseling program he was attending, so in short I think they basically already do this although a lot of people may not know about it.
wow, jail is not easy and I think that to “hope” that someone becomes victimized by the sociopathic and rapist culture in our industrialized prison complex is not showing our best, true colors in the biking community. I understand that sentiment, I suppose, but violence anywhere in our society, even prison/county jail/hospitals, are only going to hurt our society in the long run.
I remember dating someone – a teacher, no less – who drank and drove constantly. Of course, this was a short-lived relationship once the true colors arose, but I remember when I had “the talk” about alcohol being the centre of his activities, and him telling me that he felt quite confident about an evening of maker’s marks followed by driving where he saw by “blurring his eyes so that he could focus his vision on red lights”.
I wish there was something I could do – don’t care if someone calls me a “snitch” (also a byproduct of our prison state, b/t/w) – I know that he would be devastated by such an accident if he were to hit a bicyclist, and of course the person whom he hits would never survive.
DUI’s are much more prevalent in this society than we are willing to admit, until something heinous happens. When are we going to stop hating people who are already busted and on their way to a life of hell (have YOU ever been raped? I would not wish that upon anyone) – and start taking preventive measures?
one more thought, which I would hate to see dismissed as provocative or antagonist (which I don’t wish to appear).
Is it too much to ask that we really scrutinize behaviors around alcohol in our society, and in the biking community as well? For example, I am puzzled by how much anger there is around DUIs when in fact, MMRs and other such behaviors are commonly accepted in the biking community.
Of COURSE a drunk bicyclist cannot do as much damage as a drunk driver (altho a friend of mine was once hurt badly as a ped by a biker on the waterfront), but accidents DO happen and that is the only time we have discussions about drug abuse and bikes. I would like to prod our community for other opportunities to discuss these trends.
also, alcoholism is a very serious disease in this country, and violence towards alcoholics are not going to encourage other drivers to seek help.
which is worse, drunk driving or road rage? Daylight is the best disinfectant, y’all. thank you.
I hope that is 70 hard months (NO PAROLE) in prison for this voluntary act (DON’T EVER CALL IT AN ACCIDENT).
The fact that Mr. Jordan fled the scene, and tried to reverse his guilty plea proves that point that he is disingenuous when he states “he wished he could trade places” with Mr. Davidson.
I would gladly take 6 years in prison in lieu of permanent brain damage, at the drop of the hat.
Mr. Davidson’s family likely has no recompense other than the prison time which Mr. Jordan received.
My family has dealt with a family member who has neurological brain damage (not caused by malfeasance).
To throw the Davidson family down this crevasse voluntarily is a debt to which Mr. Jordan can never repay…
RE #36: In Oregon, if you are enrolled in a certified Drug & Alcohol treatment program, the counselor can sign a form that will give you a temporary Honored Citizen’s card. With that, you can purchase tickets, bus passes, or a single fare at the Honored Citizen rate. The counselors/therapists where I work generally sign the form so it lasts a month – they have to get it renewed every month.
This is also available for clients receiving mental health treatment services. If the client is ill enough, they can be free of charge.
I’ve never seen a client come in for DUII services and qualify for a free pass.
For those saying they hope he gets his wages garnished, or that laws should be passed that require convicted drunk drivers to help out victims financially…..that is all already in place. It is a law that victims have the right to seek restitution. If the victims submitted the paperwork, the judge can order that, and the drunk driver will have to pay that. Future earnings will be garnished. Additionally, any Crime Victims’ Compensation awarded to the victims, for medical bills, will need to be paid back by the drunk driver. The CVCP officials will go after the person to ensure it’s paid.
There are always many conditions associated with convictions and post-prison time. These would include supervision conditions, counseling, fines/fees/restitution, etc. Unfortunately, the news rarely reports those details of convictions….leading people to believe the victim got screwed out of these things.
Maybe an interesting story here would be to post the various, standard conditions associated with these types of crimes.
The continued media coverage and online discussion of this story over the last 6+ months is preposterous. In a time with much greater world, economic and social problems, why does Portland zone in on this as newsworthy? Drinking and driving accidents happen all the time. Alcohol abuse and the reckless behavior resulting from a diseased addict’s use of alcohol is common—in fact, all you judgers, I don’t believe that not a single one of you knows someone with an alcohol problem who has made terrible, if not tragic, decisions. How would you feel if it was someone you love? Would you still call for the public hanging? Further, hit and runs happen all the time. Even people who aren’t intoxicated leave the scene, a large percent of them do—because it’s TRAUMATIZING. The mind is a clever machine with powerful defense mechanisms. There should not be a playbook by which we were all judged when experiencing trauma. So if you’ve never accidentally hit a person, then you should refrain from comment. Also, if you have any commonsense whatsoever, you’ll know that you can’t believe everything you see in the news. Most of the stories about this accident have major errors and sensational spins, and not one of them gives the whole story. And what about the news articles about hit and runs involving pedestrians? Where’s the enduring outcry? Those events barely register a blip in the news and public discussion. The reason this particular hit and run accident has received so much attention is simply because Jeremy was in a car and Eric was on a bicycle. It’s an issue of regional politics that attracts irrational, often self-righteous, points of view, perpetuated by the Portland cycling community and those who oppose them, and fueled by the local media for ratings. Guess what? Jeremy is also a cyclist. Except he rides with full gear, including a BRIGHT blinking front headlight, a helmet with rearview mirror, and all the other accessories. And guess what? Eric Davidson also drives a car, except his just happened to be in the shop. He was supposed to pick it up that day. What’s the most newsworthy to me, in addition to the true miracle of Eric’s survival and recovery, is how Jeremy has changed his life over the last six months. He used his time out on a bail to complete a voluntary outpatient alcohol treatment program and continually works to raise awareness of the dangers of alcohol abuse and drunk driving. He’s already a rehabilitation success story before even beginning his prison sentence. His vast network of friends and community supporters are proud to know him for how he’s changed his life and for how he is trying to prevent others from making similar mistakes.
kridors,
I am sure that Eric would prefered to not have met Jeremy, and it is sad that Jeremy had to nearly kill someone before he realized he had a problem.
I am happy for him, but the reality is that his actions altered not only one life, but many lives. I am not calling for a public hanging, but rather believe that the punishment should fit the crime. I think 70 months is a fair amount of time.
And while you may say that hit and runs happen all the time, the truth of the matter is that society as a whole has decided that leaving a dying person on the side of the road after hitting them is a vile, morally reprehensible act, and as such it is a felony- a serious catagory of crime. You could just as easily argue tht spousal abuse, rape, murder, and identity theft “happen all the time” too, but we create these things called laws to codify civil behavior. Your friend Jeremy violated that law, (many of them as a matter of fact) and as such he deserves to deal with the consequences of his actions. What if Eric was your friend? Your husband? what would you be saying then?
I do not know either person, however I do know that alcoholics are great liars, and that addicts care firts and foremost for themselves. Jeremy exemplfid that when he decided to leave the accident and go home rather than do what any responsible person would do- stay and offer assistance, call 911 and get an ambulance. Now he is under a microscope, and he probably knows that any use of alcohol while on bail would have signifigantly increased his time in jail- so while I would like to believe you that he has turned his life around, he could jsut as eaily be acting in the same pattern of self-interest that brought him into the crimminal justice system.
I hope that he does indeed turn his life around, but the proof will be on the other side of prison, what he does when no one is watching, when times are tough. Does he drink or not? I do not know, but in the mean time his prison sentance can be a warning to everyone who thinks about driving drunk. Because driving drunk shouldnt happen all the time, shouldnt happen at all.
I for one hope that Jeremy’s family wises up and leaves him behind to rot in jail. He destroyed a life due to his entirely selfish and careless acts and his life should be equally destroyed by the state.
That fact that Jeremy didn’t run is not merit, it is merely a lack of demerit. Those of you apologizing for him are astoundingly weak in your morals, and I can only hope you suffer a similar personal tragedy to put things in perspective.
As a person closely associated with this tragic accident I agree totally with the sentiments expressed by Kridors. There has been a gross misrepresentation of the facts in this case in addition to key ommissions that might have made a difference if this case had been heard by a jury. Be that as it may, Mr. Jordan has been sincerely contrite and in addition to attending church and successfully completing substance abuse treatment. Remember that this was a horrific accident that was a direct result of impaired judgement. It was not a deliberate malicious act. Woe to all of you out there who hasn’t behaved badly due to imbibing alcohol. You free lance JUDGES should stay out of the online ”courtroom”.
“There has been a gross misrepresentation of the facts in this case in addition to key ommissions that might have made a difference if this case had been heard by a jury.” Fair Femme
And what might those ‘gross representations’ be, Fair Femme? They’d have to be very gross to surpass that of the lack of judgment Jeremy Jordan demonstrated on that night.
It was good of kridors to mention that Jordan is himself, a person that rides a bike. Too bad that he didn’t have the good judgment to be riding it the night he decided to go out, get tanked, steal beer, and tear out of the parking lot like a maniac. If he had, Eric Davidson would likely have been in a lot better shape than he is today.
I am glad to hear you report that Jordan has been “…contrite and in addition to attending church and successfully completing substance abuse treatment.”. It’s going to be awhile though, before that proves to mean anything except that like a lot of criminals, he knows how to game the system.
Keep us posted on how he handles himself in prison, and when he gets out, how contrite his efforts to put his life back on track demonstrate him to be. Those efforts are what’s really going to count towards somewhat reducing the balance due for his having injured so many through the harm done to Eric Davidson.
As a person who has suffered brain damage as the result of a hit-and-run, I think 70 months is about right. It leaves the miscreant young enough to earn a decent living which can be garnished to pay for the rehabilitation and upkeep on Eric for the rest of his life if needed.
So a man Hits the Mayor and gets 4 months leniency.
You gotta love Oregon Law.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/lakeside_mayor_wins_leniency_f.html
Double Standard (#48):
“He also must… surrender his driver’s license for eight years.”
So how’s he going to get around, by bicycle? Let’s just hope he won’t get hit by the drunk drivers out there.
Mountain Biker – you really think Jordan deserves credit because he DID NOT jump bail? Wow – that probably is the most selfless thing he has ever done! I personally know his victims, and his pathetic attempts to avoid jail time and find Jesus made me sick.
The only gross misprepresentation in this case is that Jordan deserves to be treated like a human being. Or his disgusting wife for letting him hide for 5 hours to sober up while Davidson’s blood soaked their garage!
The courts did not make him drink and drive, did not force him to commit 4 other felonies in his lifetime – and he cannot blame the system or anyone else for his wreckless behavior or the just punishment he has received.