Eric Fifer said he felt a little safer Monday after a judge sentenced the man responsible for a drunken-driving crash that killed Fifer�s companion dog to two years in prison.
As Richard Kent Christian, 52, of Fort Collins left the Weld County Courthouse in handcuffs, Fifer said he might go to Fancy�s grave and tell the dog the news.
On June 14, 2002, Christian was driving drunk when he swerved over the center line and hit Fifer�s minivan near the intersection of Colo. 14 and Weld County Road 13.
Fifer, 35, is deaf and was traveling with Fancy, who died at the scene. Fifer suffered neck and back injuries that still bother him. Fancy was trained to hear for those who can�t. She was able to alert her master to a fire alarm or knock at the door.
Christian pleaded guilty to aggravated driving with a revoked license, a felony, and to two misdemeanors, driving under the influence and careless driving causing an injury.
Fifer came to Weld District Court twice before Monday, ready to tell Judge Daniel Maus how the crash changed his life. Both times sentencing was delayed, first because of a paperwork error and then because Christian failed to appear in court. He was in the Larimer County jail at the time.
Each time, including Monday, Fifer came to court with photos of his companion, of his crushed minivan and of Fancy�s grave.
�She was the most important thing in my life,� Fifer testified. �Kent, I thought I could forgive you, but not after looking at your history. You have abused your rights as a citizen and you are evil.�
Deputy District Attorney Christian Schulte outlined Christian�s prior convictions, which include about five drunken-driving convictions since 1992.
Public defender Andrea McDaniel asked that Christian receive probation and said that at the time of the wreck he was suffering from depression.
�I feel really bad about this. I know how much he loved the dog. He loved that dog as much as I love my child,� Christian said just before Maus imposed the sentence. �All I can do is offer my apologies to everybody, and I�m really ashamed of myself.�
Maus acknowledged that Fifer has suffered an extreme loss and said that even though this is Christian�s first felony, the history of alcohol-related offenses worries him. Probation, he said, has not proved a deterrence before.
�I know that he might have been depressed, but that doesn�t give people the excuse to get in a vehicle and drive drunk,� he said.
After the hearing, Fifer said though an American Sign Language interpreter that he was glad Maus decided to give the toughest sentence allowed in the plea agreement.
�If he got off again, the community would not be safe,� Fifer said. �We�ve got to teach drunk drivers a lesson.�
Fifer has not gotten another companion dog. He said his frequent visits to the doctor and the possibility of more surgery would prevent him from spending time with a dog. He plans to return to teaching at University Schools and Front Range Community College this fall. Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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