Woman gets jail term despite widow’s wishes

The Associated Press

A woman who fell asleep while driving a Ryder truck and killed an oncoming driver in a head-on crash will serve 3 months to 2 years in jail, a judge ruled.

Crawford County Judge Gordon Miller on Friday said Cheryl Wynn could not kill someone through negligence without seeing the inside of a jail cell — even though the victim’s widow said she opposed incarceration.

Wynn, 52, of Cleveland, fell asleep while driving on state Route 322 on Sept. 8, crossed the center line, and crashed into a car driven by Meadville YMCA executive director Oscar Bergendahl III. Bergendahl’s wife, Wendie, was injured in the crash.

Crawford County Public Defender Ross Prather said Wynn had driven from Florida to Cook Forest in Clarion and Jefferson counties to stay at a cabin she had reserved for several months. But she learned upon her arrival that she would not be able to keep her dog there, so she searched for a hotel that allowed pets.

“I don’t see the point in Miss Wynn spending any time in prison,” Wendie Bergendahl told Miller. “My husband and I and my children and I forgive her.”

Assistant District Attorney Holly Brent recommended probation in light of the widow’s wishes. Wynn also has named Wendie Bergendahl as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy. But Miller said a jail sentence was warranted even though Wynn had expressed remorse for Bergendahl’s death.

“I don’t see how you can cause something like this and not be incarcerated,” he said.

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