Thursday, February 5, 2015

Leigh Ann Ward's killer is free.

Ethan Van Sice is no longer in jail.  MDOC granted "earned supervised release" status to Ethan Van Sice on October 3, 2014.  Van Sice was convicted of vehicular homicide in February 2012 for the death of MRA teacher Leigh Anne Ward in 2010.  He only served 2 1/2 years of a six-year prison term.




WLBT reported on February 6, 2012:
Ethan Van Sice was a teenager when he was charged with killing a Madison-Ridgeland Academy teacher in August of 2010.

The Jackson man appeared in Hinds County Circuit Court Monday and entered a guilty plea to vehicular homicide in the death of Leigh Anne Ward.

He was 19 when his Toyota Tundra crashed into the 35 year old's Toyota Camry near her home in northeast Jackson.
Credit: WLBT


"Her life was cut very short by somebody's irresponsible behavior," said Bobbie Ward.

The mother of the popular Madison-Ridgeland Academy teacher, is disappointed that he was never jailed and with the time he will serve.

In the plea agreement, Van Sice was sentenced to 20 years with 14 years suspended.

He will serve six years and received five years probation upon release.

The Jackson man apologized to the family, but Ward said they were empty words.

"You know it's easy to say you're sorry when something has already occurred, and you're doing that as a way to me of getting your sentence lighter," Ward said.

Ward also addressed Van Sice and the court sharing the pain her family suffered by his actions.
Credit: WLBT
 The only child of Dr. Frazier and Bobbie Ward was on her way home from school for her father's birthday dinner on August 17th of 2010 when witnesses said Van Sice was speeding down River Thames Road.
"He did not have to be running all over the street," Ward said. "He did not have to be knocking down the stop signs, and he would have killed a jogger if Mr. Smith down on River Thames had not hollered to the jogger and said get up in that yard."

Robert Schuler Smith, Hinds County District Attorney, said test results found no alcohol or drugs in the Jackson teenager's system. WLBT story.

The D.A. also said there was no evidence to substantiate claims that Van Sice was texting while driving. 
Van Sice reports to a probation officer in Forrest County and undergoes regular drug testing.

Kingfish note: The crime occurred in Jackson and the convict is white.





28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Anthony McQuitter got three years in 2006. He had been in an argument over facebook because someone called someone a "ho." McQuitter spotted his enemy outside a car at a club on Northside Drive and gunned down three people. Two of them lived. That was straight up murder. He was allowed to plead to manslaughter and was SENTENCED to three years.

Anonymous said...

Did not Ethan plea bargan also?

Anonymous said...

Why drug testing if no drugs involved?

Kingfish said...

Standard procedure when on supervised release.

Anonymous said...

If he was not under the influence of drugs or drink nad was not texting, this was bad accident.

why the hit piece?

Anonymous said...

Wasn't he involved in some drug crime or burglary in Jackson after the wreck? It was in north Jackson on I55.

Anonymous said...

11:27 Is it an "accident" to run over mailboxes at a high speed, not notice the vibration from the mailbox hit, and continue at a high speed down a residential street. It would be awful enough if this was on Old Canton Road or Ridgewood Road, but this was River Thames, a quite residential street.

This cat killed this fine woman and he got 2.5 years in the slammer.

Human life is cheap these days.

Kingfish said...

He didn't hit that car at the speed limit or close to it.

Pittpanther said...

Black criminals with white victims get harsher sentences than white criminals with white victims, even with equivalent crimes.

I'm sure this guy is a "good boy who just made a mistake," as opposed to a thug who should be put under the jail.

/sarcasm

Anonymous said...

Right. Suge Knight is being framed right? By the "racist" justice system.

Here's a black driver, probably DUI, who ran over a white college student. He got 2 years.

http://www.wusa9.com/story/news/2014/11/24/liam-adepo-guilty-plea-cory-hubbard-college-park-md/19491457/

No, it's not all about race. It's not 1960 anymore. Stop the excuses.

Anonymous said...

What I don't get is how the media describes a 19 year old thug as a man (WLBT on Ethan Van Sice), but describes an 18 year old thug as a boy (NBC on Michael Brown). Van Sice (the man) is 6 ft / 185 lbs. Brown (the boy) was 6ft 4 in / 300.

Next question (unrelated to this) is how does Eric Holder make the big announcement that the feds are going to investigate the Ferguson cop for civil rights violations on the front page of the paper and decline to prosecute on page 12?

meople said...

There are no mailboxes in that neighborhood.

Anonymous said...

A horrible accident, a terrible accident, that yes, could have been avoided. But he has to live with his mistake the rest of his life. He served his time. MDOC is overcrowded & eligible offenders are eligible for early release.

I want to see more news on the missing toddler Myra Lewis! How did she just disappear?? Aliens did not abduct her! It's been almost a year now & she is still missing.

Also how is the investigation going on who burned Jessica Chambers alive??

We need to keep these stories alive. Somebody, somewhere knows something.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget about Ricky Saxton. Gunned down execution style in yazoo county.


I have suspicions about Jessica chambers. Her father worked at sheriff dept. seems likely the gangs (since they run the prisons) could have been trying to make a point. Maybe her father refused to bring in contraband. But the point was they run the show and no one, even family of county employees, is safe.

Also, the Ali fella that worked at the gas station is gone. Moved to New York I believe. I guess the Arab money funding him didn't like all of the attention directed to their little drug slinging country store. His social media was full of violent anti Israel images and pro muslim extremist propaganda. As well as daily conversation with Palestinians. One of the 'hackers' claimed there was a house in the area used to keep illegal muslim immigrants as they made their way up to New York. If this is the case the Feds could be much more involved than people believe.

I don't know if any of this is true. But at this point none of it would surprise me.

Dare I mention Ralph Weems, the white man beaten by the black mob? Only three people have been arrested.

Anonymous said...

when the law was changed at the insistence of Chris Epps last year, it made this guy eligible for release much earlier.

when he plead guilty to a violent offense, the law was that he had to serve it day for day, although MDOC has never fully obeyed release laws and have let many violent convicts out before the lawful sentence was fully served.

Anonymous said...

Jessica's father works as a mechanic in the motor pool of the sheriff, not inside the jail. He would probably have contact with trustys, but no other prisoners. Pretty far out theory.

The arab kid left because he was cleared by continued to get death threats.

Don't look for this case to be solved. Can't comment on the quality of the first two days of the investigation, but do have to question it.

My Comment said...

He was convicted of manslaughter. How long should he be kept locked away? six years? Eleven? Fourteen and a half? Twenty Three? There is never going to be a formula for determining the value of life and converting that to a prison sentence.

Anonymous said...

If she were my daughter, I would welcome him being released. Then I would introduce him to a world of pain, that he probably doesn't know exists.

Look over your shoulder said...

There is never going to be a formula for determining the value of life and converting that to a prison sentence.

Yes, there is an answer. When the sentence for taking a human life is ambiguous the sentence should be the maximum allowable.

I GUARANTEE your sorry ass that you'd feel the same if one of your loved ones died as a result of this type of recklessness.

JERK.

Anonymous said...

He made a stupid, horrible irresponsible mistake- but we are asked to forgive and be forgiven . He has paid for his mistake in many ways, and I understand he did major tutoring to other prisoners- maybe this was his"purpose in life" as mrs ward questioned him. Another teacher in God's eyes . My cousin's son was killed in another stupid mistake as he was trying to buy some pot before going back to school. But- the killers were out in less than two years. The loss of a young life was devastating , but peace is only achieved by forgiving . Let this young man turn his life around and try to obtain a life with purpose, and a life fulfilling the plan He has for him - which Ethan is really trying to do at this time.

Anonymous said...

@2:48 PM
I guess that there are no pedestrians, stop signs or speed limits either...

By Comparison said...

Meanwhile; Haley Barbour granted a conditional pardon to a lady who killed two young (and engaged to be married) medical doctors just a few years ago. Drunk Driving.

And recently it was reported on this blog that she has now satisfied the terms of that conditional pardon and has flown free.

But she married into a family with blue blood.

Anonymous said...

5:27 -- One of my children was coming home for the holidays and saw her at the airport picking up her luggage (or at least someone who looked like her pickup up luggage with her name all over it). Guess that "HOUSE ARREST" thing was lessened over the holidays (before formally being removed), since she needed to do some Christmas shopping in Atlanta or Dallas. Priorities people!!!!

Anonymous said...

This kid was arrested for shoplifting a can of compressed air so he could go huffing. Here's hoping he's found Jesus. But if not, may the wrath of vigilantes pour out on him with scorn and vengeance.

My Comment said...

"There is never going to be a formula for determining the value of life and converting that to a prison sentence."


Rather than calling me a JERK, 9:02, can you debate my 'sorry ass' post? It appears again,above, in this post.

The two medical doctors killed by Mrs. Irby were yankees and nobody here had every heard of them, so, their lives were of relatively less value than, say, if they had been the children of a local politician or school principal or Fondren restaurant owner.

Simply put; there is no forumula and much of the surrounding argument is based entirely on emotion.

Kingfish said...

Speaking of, I've been unable to buy compressed air at Office Depot when I go there. Guess the druggies are all buying it now.

Watch Marshall Fisher write a column saying we need a prescription for it. But who is to give the prescription?

Anonymous said...

Ethan Van Sice committed suicide this weekend.

Anonymous said...

It appears a different anonymous poster has already noted that Van Sice committed suicide during the first weekend of October 2021, here's a link to his obituary for the record (if this comment section allows links):

https://legcy.co/3De9rCY

https://www.dunklinfh.com/obituary/ethan-vansice



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