An Olney man was sentenced in Howard County Circuit Court on Thursday to a year in prison for negligent homicide as 100 friends and family members looked on.
James Lubbers, 36, admitted in court in June to drunkenly slamming his car into a guardrail on Route 108 on a November 2005 evening, a crash that killed his co-worker and friend, Carmen White.
“I have seen one of the best men I know struggle to get through each day” since the crash, said Laura Topper, who was another passenger in Lubbers? convertible BMW that night.
The crash happened after Lubbers, Topper and White had dinner and drinks at the Iron Bridge Wine Company in Columbia and left the restaurant to go to Baltimore City, according to court documents.
As Lubbers manipulated a curve on Route 108, his car began to spin before leaving the road, striking a guardrail and then a utility pole.
White was ejected from the car and pronounced dead at the scene.
Later investigation revealed that Lubbers had a blood alcohol content of .14, almost double the legal limit, and was driving at 66 mph when the collision occurred.
After settling a civil suit out of court, the family of Carmen White asked the state not to prosecute Lubbers.
Others pleaded Thursday with the court to be lenient with Lubbers, including two employees of Washington Adventist Hospital, where Lubbers frequently worked as a specialist for Medtronics, a medical device-making company.
“It?s clear that Mr. Lubbers is a good person … but he also took the life of a good person,” said Howard County prosecutor Danielle Duclax.
Judge Richard Bernhardt said he will consider arguments for home detention in March.
