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37 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, March 24, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 23, 2005 Teen driver in fatal gets no jail time in plea deal By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune A 16-year-old whose reckless driving killed two teens and seriously injured another will not go to prison. Jonathan Michael Demean, of Quincy, Calif., pleaded guilty Tuesday in Jackson County Circuit Court to two counts of criminally negligent homicide and one count of third-degree assault. Circuit Court Judge Bill Purdy ordered Demean to spend four years and 11 months in the custody of the Oregon Youth Authority. Prosecuted as an adult, Demean would have been subject to a mandatory prison sentence of six years and three months if manslaughter charges had been filed in the case, said Tim Barnack, deputy district attorney for Jackson County. Travis Michael Boswell, 17, and 15-year-old Zachary Keith Delong died in the Feb. 6 wreck on Highway 140 near Fish Lake. Driving a 1988 Acura Integra that belonged to his mother’s boyfriend, Demean accelerated to 110 mph before flipping the car on a curve, Barnack said. The force of the crash hurled Demean’s three passengers from the car. Boswell and Delong were pronounced dead at the scene. Peter Torri-Ezikiel Mejia, 14, was hospitalized at Rogue Valley Medical Center with critical injuries. He remains in a vegetative state at a pediatric care facility in California, Barnack said. Advertisement Oregon State Police officials said Demean took the car without permission. All four boys had run away from Warner Mountains group home in the Northern California city of Canby, about 50 miles south of the Oregon border, the Klamath Falls Herald and News reported. Demean previously committed two motor vehicle thefts in California, Barnack said. Demean could serve a shorter sentence if he participates in certain programs and exhibits good behavior, Barnack said. Upon his release, Demean’s driver’s license will be suspended for eight years. While his attorney spoke of her client’s remorse, Demean did not address the court Tuesday. None of the victims’ families could attend Tuesday’s hearing on account of financial difficulties, Barnack said. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Advertisement s