A 73-year-old defendant was sentenced to the maximum 12-year prison term Friday for vehicular homicide by alcohol in the death of a 27-year-old wife and mother in a 2022 crash in Lebanon’s town center.
Sandra Strickland accepted responsibility for her actions and apologized as Judge Michael Collins handed down the sentence Friday during an emotionally charged hearing in Wilson County, where seven family members and friends of victim Ashley Bailey spoke about the impact the April 25, 2022, fatal crash had on their lives.
“It doesn’t feel just, but it’s as just as the law allows,” the victim’s husband, Larry Bailey, stated following the court. “I know many individuals in the community have been following this case from beginning to end.
“The response has been astounding. If you, like me, believe this isn’t enough time for the crime, contact your local congressman and senators.”
According to 15th Judicial District Attorney General Jason Lawson, vehicular homicide by drunkenness is a Class B felony punishable by eight to twelve years in jail.
Prosecutors claimed Strickland was inebriated when she collided with Ashley Bailey’s automobile in the square around 4:30 p.m. that day in April. Bailey was slain, and her three-year-old son was brought to a nearby hospital, treated, and eventually released. According to testimony, Strickland’s vehicle was traveling at or near 80 mph when the incident occurred.
The punishment occurred after Strickland submitted an open plea in October, effectively ending trial proceedings that had already begun, according to authorities.
Ashley Bailey’s hugs and dedication to her young son, Colson, were mentioned by family and friends who gave impact statements in court on Friday.
“You have broken me, and I am slowly trying to put the pieces back together,” Larry Bailey said in his impassioned statement.
He and the other speakers asked for the highest penalty authorized by law for Strickland, and many of them were furious with her, claiming she had shown no remorse throughout the judicial process.
That was exacerbated by a remark attributed to Strickland. According to testimony, when asked a customary question by the judge in October about being compelled to take an open plea, she stated that the judicial system was the reason she pleaded guilty. According to the testimony, Strickland then clarified that she was joking.
“You heard a lot of pain today,” District Attorney General Jason Lawson said when the speakers were done.
Strickland, dressed in an orange jail uniform, also spoke during Friday’s session.
“I would like everyone to know that I accept responsibility for my actions,” she told the audience. “When I heard were the reason that a little boy lost his mother, the only way I knew to handle it was to put on that tough exterior.”
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Following the statement, Strickland apologized in front of his family and friends.
When Strickland submitted the open plea in October, she essentially admitted guilt without a sentence agreement from prosecutors, so the court had the last word on how long she would spend in prison.
Strickland’s original sentencing date was set for Dec. 10, but she checked herself into a local hospital that day, prompting the judge to revoke her bond, order Wilson County Sheriff’s Office staff to secure her hospital room, and transport her to jail upon discharge, according to officials.
According to testimony, Strickland went to the hospital due to a cardiac problem, but the prosecution did not believe it was an emergency.
Prosecutors say the April crash that killed Bailey happened shortly after Strickland left Chili’s Bar & Grill in Lebanon. A civil action has been filed in connection with the matter, alleging that employees at Lebanon Chili’s intentionally supplied alcoholic beverages and allowed Strickland to depart while she was intoxicated.
Strickland faced further charges as a result of the April crash, but only vehicular murder by intoxication was prosecuted as part of the plea agreement. Lawson stated that Strickland’s DUI allegation has been successfully integrated into the vehicular homicide by intoxication accusation.
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