An under-aged man who bought beer for teenagers killed in a November
car accident agreed Tuesday to serve two months in jail, a sentence a
prosecutor said should send a message as graduation season nears.
Pierre Boujon, 20, provided beer for Sean Larimer and
his friends hours before the 16-year-old crashed his vehicle into a wall
in a Henderson neighborhood, killing his 15-year-old friends, Kyle Poff,
Travis Dunning and Josh Parry.
Larimer had a blood-alcohol content of 0.19 percent
and was driving 80 mph in a 25 mph zone.
"This case is very significant because this guy
provided alcohol to the minors, especially Sean Larimer, who crashed the
car and killed three people," Chief Deputy District Attorney Frank
Ponticello said. "With high school graduation right around the corner,
people should know if they provide alcohol to minors we are are going to
prosecute them."
Boujon's attorney, Randall Pike, said prosecutors
tried to make a statement by requiring jail time as part of a plea deal.
Defendants accused of similar charges typically are fined and ordered to
take anti-drunk-driving classes, he said.
However, Boujon believes his jail time may send a
valuable message to others, Pike said.
"My client feels that if he has to do 60 days in
jail as punishment for what he did, and if it will have an impact on
someone else buying alcohol for minors, it's 60 days put to use," Pike
said after Tuesday's hearing in Henderson Justice Court.
Boujon pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of
being a minor in possession of alcohol, using a false identification to
purchase alcohol and providing alcohol to minors. Boujon purchased an
18-pack and a 12-pack of beer, according to police.
He was sentenced to 60 days in jail, required to
pay a $1,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service.
Boujon was sentenced to 16 months in jail. However,
Judge Pro Tem Melanie Tobiasson suspended that sentence and instead
ordered him to spend 60 days in jail and to stay out of trouble and not
consume alcohol for a year. Should he fail to comply with the terms of
his agreement, he could be required to serve the full 16 months.
Henderson police reports state Boujon initially
denied that he bought beer for the high school students.
When police later confronted Boujon with video
surveillance from a store showing him buying the beer, Boujon admitted
purchasing the alcohol.
Larimer pleaded guilty to drunken driving and
reckless driving charges in February as part of a plea agreement. He was
sentenced to two years in the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center and
ordered to perform 600 hours of community service.
According to police reports, there was no evidence
that Larimer or his passengers were wearing seat belts. Like Larimer,
all three of the boys who died were drinking that night. Dunning had a
blood-alcohol content of 0.12 percent. Poff's blood-alcohol content was
0.13 percent and Parry's was 0.08 percent.
After the crash, detectives interviewed numerous
witnesses who were with the boys the night of the crash. They learned
that a teenage acquaintance of the teens, 14-year-old Danielle Roman,
had hosted a party at her residence in the 1300 block of European Drive
in Henderson.
Police, according to one report, learned from a
neighbor "that the home is a frequent hangout for teens and that there
have been several parties at the residence in the past."
Henderson police spokesman Keith Paul said police
submitted to city prosecutors a misdemeanor charge of contributing to
the delinquency of a minor against Roman's mother, Pamela Roman.
However, the charge was not pursued, Paul said.
City prosecutors couldn't be reached for comment
late Tuesday.
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