In Brief

Prosecutors blast insanity claim in fatal hit-run

First Posted: 5/12/2014 Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis will discuss efforts to close Pennsylvania&#8217;s &#8220;DUI loophole&#8221; during a 2 p.m. press conference Tuesday at the Luzerne County Courthouse, 200 North River St.
Those legislative proposals are popularly called &#8220;Kevin&#8217;s Law,&#8221; in memory of Kevin Miller, a five-year-old Dallas boy who was killed in a hit-and-run crash in December 2012. Kevin&#8217;s mother, Caroline Miller, will share her views during today&#8217;s gathering.
Thomas Letteer, 24, of Plains Township, received a two-to-five-year sentence recently in connection with Kevin&#8217;s death.
Under state law, homicide by vehicle while DUI carries a three-year mandatory minimum prison sentence. Leaving the scene of an accident involving death carries only a one-year mandatory minimum sentence.
Advocates of Kevin&#8217;s Law want lawmakers to make the penalties identical, so motorists have no incentive to flee.
&#8220;The Luzerne County District Attorney&#8217;s Office had the unfortunate circumstance of investigating and prosecuting five such cases, all of which occurred within six months of each other in 2012. In each case, the victim was killed and the driver of the vehicle left the scene of the accident,&#8221; Salavantis wrote.
Since April 2013 the DA has been working closely with State Rep. Mike Carroll, D-Avoca, and State Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, in an attempt to close the legal loophole by increasing the mandatory minimum sentence for drivers who fatally hit an individual and then leave the scene of the accident.
Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Butler Township, announced last week that she is the primary sponsor of legislation, soon to be introduced in the state House, which would increase the mandatory minimum penalty for fleeing the scene of a fatal traffic accident.
Thousands of local residents, meanwhile, have signed an online petition at http://chn.ge/1mwbkC3 in favor of the change.

Salavantis to speak on plans for ‘Kevin’s Law’