BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. – A Longmont man who pleaded guilty to careless driving and false ID possession in the death of an 8-year-old girl who killed when she was hit while riding her bike was sentenced Tuesday to 150 days in jail.
Kyle Couch, 21, will serve two years of probation after he completes his jail sentence, which a judge also Tuesday denied to defer until Couch finished this semester at college.
He was originally charged with vehicular homicide, DUI and a slew of other charges for allegedly running over and killing the young girl, Peyton Knowlton, as she rode her bike across a crosswalk with her stepfather last May. Couch stayed at the scene after the crash.
But prosecutors dropped most of his charges in March in exchange for the guilty plea on the lesser charges.
Investigators had originally said that Couch was high on marijuana at the time of the crash, something his defense attorney disputed and prosecutors decided they were unable to prove, according to the Boulder Daily Camera.
Catherine Olguin, a spokesperson for the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office, said the judge also added a restorative justice participation program to Couch’s sentence, which could allow Couch to communicate with Knowlton’s family and apologize should the family choose to participate.
He apologized to the family during Tuesday’s hearing.
---------
Sign up for Denver7 email alerts to stay informed about breaking news and daily headlines.