Johnathan Kamp was moving into his first home when he made a fateful decision.
Rather than wait until the next morning, he decided to move one final trailer load of his things from Warsaw to Akron around 11:30 p.m. Nov 30.Kamp was driving his truck through the intersection of CRs 1000W and 700S in Sevastapool. Another vehicle ignored a stop sign and struck Kamp's vehicle, taking the 28-year-old's life.
The man responsible for taking Kamp's life, Leonard F. Williams, 44, of Rochester, was sentenced in Kosciusko County Superior Court III Wednesday morning.
Williams was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing death.
Before Williams was sentenced, Kamp's mother, Christine Jones, took the stand to talk about the impact of losing her son.
"We have been devastated," said Jones. "I think about him every day of my life."
Jones said she considered suicide after the death of Kamp.
Candace Jones, Kamp's aunt, and John Kamp, Kamp's brother, also took the stand to talk about the impact of Kamp's death.
In defense of Williams, Jeanette Cooper, Williams' sister, said her brother was a good man.
Williams took the stand and stated he started drinking at a young age, but stopped for 17 years after becoming a born-again Christian. Williams said he started drinking again in 2004 after his marriage fell apart.
"I'm deeply sorry for the pain I caused," said Williams.
Williams was arrested in 2006 for drunk driving and was arrested in Pulaski County for getting into a bar fight with his brother.
Williams' defense attorney, John D. Barrett, argued that emotion shouldn't factor into Williams' sentence and that a letter Williams wrote to a pastor in Mississippi showed Williams was truly remorseful.
In sentencing Williams, Judge Joe Sutton said that since Williams left the scene of the accident that outweighed any remorse he may have felt.
"You left people to die," said Sutton.
Williams was sentenced to 18 years for the death of Kamp and 7 years for injuries caused to four others involved in the wreck.
Michael Nelson, 21, Silver Lake, was a passenger in Williams' vehicle and suffered extensive injuries. A.J. Hackworth, 22, Claypool, and Anthony Blankenship, 19, SIlver Lake, both passengers in Williams' vehicle, also suffered injuries. Richard Shoemaker, 32, Akron, was a passenger in Kamp's truck and suffered injuries as well.
"I think he could have received a bit more," said Jones, who wore a t-shirt with Kamp's photo on it.
The t-shirt said "Remembering My Only Son Johnathan. 4-05-79-11-30-07."
