Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RICHARD JENKINS
Hurley — A Superior, Wis., man pleaded no contest to three counts and was sentenced in Iron County court Wednesday for his role in a fatal car crash in the town of Saxon.
Jesse Troy Gasper, 35, was the driver of a car involved in an early-morning car crash March 27 on U.S. 2 in Saxon that killed Amanda Rose Schiller, 31, of Menominee.
Several of Schiller's relatives and friends gave or submitted victim impact statements prior to Judge Patrick Madden imposing his sentence.
“Make no mistake, Amanda was not killed by a car accident. Calling it an accident strips it of its core, heartbreaking truth and shields you from responsibility. Her death wasn't the outcome of some random chance, or freak black ice spot at an unfortunate time. You killed Amanda,” Jared Buchholz, Schiller's brother, said to Gasper. “You made a decision. You chose to get in that car when you know you shouldn't have. Actions have consequences, and yours were fatal.”
Gasper was sentenced to the legal maximum sentence of three years in prison and three years extended supervision for knowingly operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license causing death.
Madden also withheld sentence and imposed probation on the two other charges Gasper pleaded to. He will serve three years probation for possession of THC-second offense and one year probation for operating with a detectable amount of a controlled substance in his blood causing injury.
Gasper will serve the three sentences consecutively, meaning he will be on extended supervision or probation for seven years after his release from prison.
Two other counts — homicide by vehicle-use of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia — were dismissed Tuesday but read into the record.
Schiller was a passenger in the vehicle Gasper was driving on U.S. 2 at approximately 3:53 a.m. near the Saxon cemetery.
Iron County District Attorney Matt Tingstad told the Daily Globe in May the vehicle was headed east toward Ironwood when it was involved in the accident involving a logging truck.
Both Gasper and the driver of the truck were transported to Aspirus Ironwood Hospital.
Schiller, a 2005 graduate of Ironwood’s Luther L. Wright High School, was pronounced dead at the scene. She is survived by four children.
The victim impact statements in court talked on the devastating loss that Schiller's death was for the family, and how the crash had robbed them of a mother, daughter and sister.
“All of our lives have been turned upside down because we don't have Amanda anymore,” said Schiller's mom, Sally Buchholz.
They talked of Schiller's generosity and how she was the glue that held the family together and solved conflicts.
“Amanda was very loving, giving and a kind person. She would literally give you the shirt off her back if she thought it would help you,” Buchholz said.
Praising the relatives for their eloquence and offering his condolences to them, Madden told Gasper he will always be responsible for Schiller's death and he hoped Gasper made better choices going forward.
“I hope … you lead the rest of your life in a way that shows some respect for the life that you took,” Madden said. “There is going to be a time when you will be out of prison. There will be a time when you will be off of probation. But there will never be a time you won't be responsible for what it is you did to diminish this family and to cause the death of this person.”
Gasper received a jail credit of 223 days for the time served in jail prior to his sentence.