The trooper entered a plea of guilty today. Here is the statement I read to the media today:
This is the statement that I read after the trooper’s plea hearing:
We, the family of Jessica and Kelli Uhl, would like to take this opportunity to express how indebted we are to the St. Clair County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for their diligence and professionalism in bringing the case to a close that is acceptable to all parties.
We would also like to express our profound gratitude to everyone who has attended our fundraisers, donated blood, ate at Applebee’s or conveyed their sympathy, thoughts and prayers. We are forever grateful for your support throughout this ordeal.
We are hopeful that this conviction sends a message not only to all first responders and law enforcement officers, but to all drivers: please slow down, pay attention, put down the phone and drive safely.
Kim Schlau and Brian Uhl
In regard to the loss of you rchildren I am profoundly sorry. I am amazed however, at the leniency shown towards the trooper responsible for this. I is mind boggling that one can cause so much grief then be treated with such leniency. I am flabbergasted and sickened by this judgement. I have had some leagl issues of my own lately, fortunatley I did not injure anyone, but I have received the same type of sentening in addition to jail time. I am not saying that I was/am being treated unfairly, but the playing field should be level for ALL!
My prayers go out to your family!
Sincerely,
John L. Dolde
Even though we recently moved from the area, I have been following your case. I cannot believe this police officer can drive 126 miles an hour, talk on the phone, and email and not be guilty of murder. I have one child, a son and I cannot imagine losing him, especially in such a preventable way. You have my deepest heartfelt sympathy. Your story as parents is not one you can easily stop thinking about. Please please know that your children are being taken care of by the ultimate “father” and will never suffer again. May your family find the peace that you so deserve.
Lynn
Hi, first of all I am so sorry for your loss. I do not agree with the sentence he received, but he will live with this forever. I do agree with you on the thing about cellphones. They are great to have when we use them responsibly. best wishes
I am so proud of you guys! I can’t imagine how hard this has been for you all, I know that it is hard for me, and I am just the big sister of one of her friends. You are doing so well in getting the word out to not drive and text, I think this is a great way to honor them. Good Luck with the next case, and as always I am praying for you all.
I feel the sentence this trooper got was way too lenient, but I understand you’re wanting to put this behind you and move on. I am glad that he will never be a police officer again – has has no business doing so and I hope this haunts him for the rest of his life. My heart breaks for you, but know that God is taking care of your girls and they are living in peace. God bless you and your family. Stay strong.
I cannot even fathom your loss. My heart aches just viewing all of these comments and photos. Everyone is correct in saying, that things are just not fair at times. We had a Deputy Sheriff in our town going close to if not over 100mph, with a ride-along chasing a motorcycle down the main street. He lost control and crashed, with no seat belt on, he lost his life and his passenger was injured. However, the city dedicated the road to him. Sometimes I must admit, that it is difficult to see the reason for the things that happen to us, and for some of us, we never do get that far. My prayers will always be with you and I commend you for allowing this horrible tragedy to have a positive impact on others through your beautiful daughters.
Keep suing the hell out of the douchebag. He clearly was using the cell phone and such, and as a result, crossed over the median and crashed. This douchebag is now seeking worker’s comp, wasting a lot of taxpayer’s money.
I have been reading about your girls on different websites for the last few weeks, and just want to say I am so sorry this happened. I can’t believe the cop would have the nerve to file a workers comp case over this. (I used to do some W/C adjusting.) I also cannot believe he would be granted paid leave either. He should be paying compensation to you for the rest of his life. So sad to read about the tragic accident, and I hope you can find some consolation knowing all the effort you have put out after the fact to bring awareness to the danger of texting/phoning while driving, will undoubtedly save lives in the future.
God Bless You Kim !!!!! and Maddy too. Please keep blogging.