Teen sentenced to treatment facility for causing deadly crash

NEWARK – Nothing Licking County Juvenile Court Judge Robert Hoover said Friday was going to make everyone in his courtroom happy.

"There are no words ... that will make it better," he said.

Then he told 16-year-old Jaylynn Rigio that he would be spending the next six to nine months in the Perry Multi-County Juvenile Facility undergoing treatment and counseling.

Rigio was sentenced Friday for causing a June 26 crash on Hardscrabble Road that killed 15-year-olds Linzie Bell and Cheyenne Spurgeon and 17-year-old Michael Hoskinson.

Rigio previously admitted to three delinquent counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and one count of vehicular assault.

Bell's family asked Rigio in court why he had not spoken in court.

Peggy Bell, Linzie's mother, said she had been working on a letter to Rigio for eight months.

"You're a coward for not making statements so we can have answers," she said.

Peggy Bell spoke about how she and Linzie's father will never get to have grandchildren, as Linzie was their only child. They wondered about her last moments in Rigio's car.

"Did she scream or yell? I know my baby was scared to death," she said. "If you had followed the law, my daughter would still be alive."

Ohio law restricts 16-year-old drivers to having only one passenger who is not family in their vehicle.

Rigio was driving more than 20 miles per hour over the speed limit when his car hit a hill. Rigio lost control, overcorrected and hit a tree. The vehicle split in two, ejecting the three backseat passengers. All three were pronounced dead at the scene.

A fourth teen, 16-year-old Ashton Cody, was seriously injured in the crash. Cody was in the front passenger seat.

Bell's family is the only family that spoke in court; however, Bell and Spurgeon were related.

One of Linzie Bell's uncles spoke to Rigio, telling the teen that he was a "big boy to go out and drive crazy" but not man enough to look at the family in court.

While family members spoke, Rigio and his father faced forward. Rigio's mother occasionally looked at the family members.

Rigio says he has no recollection of the crash and his attorney, Rob Calesaric, has said Rigio has struggled with memory issues since the event. Rigio suffered head injuries in the crash and was flown from the scene to a Columbus hospital by medical helicopter.

Dr. Cecil Miller testified that medical records showed Rigio suffered a traumatic brain injury in the crash and had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite improvements in his mental functioning, Miller said, Rigio has yet to face the emotional impact of the crash.

"He continues to be somewhat fragile," Miller said. "He has not really confronted the emotions yet."

Miller said Rigio is progressing as one would likely expect, given the trauma associated with the crash.

Calesaric said he understood the harm done by the crash was "insurmountable" and Rigio had to face consequences for his actions.

"This is not a criminal and this is not a bad kid," he said.

Calesaric said it was his decision to have Rigio deal with apologizing and addressing the victims' families through a written letter and not a statement in court.

In the letter, which was given to the families before Friday's hearing, Rigio wrote of how he found out about the crash.

"After the wreck, I remember wakeing (sic) up in the hospital and being moved to a different room by wheelchair," he wrote. "I had no clue why I was in the hospital untill (sic) about a week before I was released. The first I thought when I found out was that this could not be true."

Rigio said the situation has been "surreal" and he said he wished he could undo the crash.

As part of his sentence, Rigio will have to complete 80 hours of community service. Hoover suggested some of that time be served by speaking to teenagers of driving age.

Rigio was taken into custody at the courthouse Friday and will spend the weekend at the Multi-County Juvenile Detention Facility in Lancaster until he is transferred to the Perry County facility Monday.

Rigio will complete a program at the Perry County facility, which is considered a community-based correctional facility, that typically lasts six to nine months. Rigio's stay at the facility will depend on his response to the treatment and counseling provided.

Upon his release, Rigio will have to reappear before Hoover to evaluate the remainder of the sentence, which is currently set to be a term of house arrest and probation.

If Rigio were to violate the terms of that release, he would be subject to an indefinite term of confinement in the custody of the Ohio Department of Youth Services, which could last until his 21st birthday.