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Source: The Telegraph, Alton, Ill.迷你倉新蒲崗July 19--EDWARDSVILLE -- A man who pleaded guilty Friday in a fatal drunken driving case broke into tears and apologized to his victims' family."I'm sorry; I wish it was me," he was overheard saying.James L. Griesbaum, 36, pleaded guilty in Madison County Circuit Court to a count of aggravated driving under the influence resulting in death and also a count of aggravated driving under the influence resulting in great bodily harm in exchange for a prison term of 42 months and a prosecution agreement to drop two other charges.Members of the victim's family and the Griesbaum family embraced and exchanged words after the plea.The plea came in the midst of a trial that included testimony from a prosecution witness who estimated Griesbaum's blood-alcohol level at between 0.09 percent and 0.12 percent, more than the state standard for a presumption of intoxication.The plea came after Circuit Judge Kyle Napp ruled that a proposed defense expert was not qualified to testify as an expert. The ruling came after hours of testimony on the qualifications of Ronald Henson. Assistant Madison County State's Attorney Crystal Uhe argued Henson lacked training in the "hard sciences," such as chemistry, biology, pharmacology and toxicology.Defense attorney William Berry declined to comment on whether the judge's ruling led to the agreement.The judge praised the way the members of the victims' and defendant's families conducted themselves during the trial."I wish there was something I could do for you, but I can't," she said, addressing both families.Uhe said after the plea that the case was a tragedy for all concerned."It's horrible for both the families. No amount of prison time could bring the victim back," she said.She called the agreement fair, especially in light of the fact that Griesbaum has no prior felony convictions.However, he was found not guilty of two previous driving under the influence charges and guilty of possession of liquor by a minor and playing a game of chance, both misdemeanors. Another charge of driving under the influence was dropped.By law, only the convictions would have figured into his sentence. Probation was not available under the statute. Griesbaum will have to serve at least 85 percent of the 42 months because there was a death involved.Griesbaum, of Aviston, had "well over" the legal limit of alcohol in h迷你倉出租s bloodstream Feb. 16, 2010, when the pickup truck he was driving crossed the center line and crashed head-on into an oncoming pickup truck, fatally injuring the driver and severely injuring a passenger, the driver's 81-year-old mother.The collision killed Barbara K. Green, 56, of Trenton, and severely injured her mother, Ressie M. Woodcock, also of Trenton. Green had to be extricated from the vehicle and died later in a St. Louis hospital of blunt trauma to the chest.Before the crash, Woodcock had been very healthy for a woman her age, said her daughter, Rita Crabtree, the sister of Green. After the collision, Woodcock was unconscious for a month and never has been the same since. She has little short-term memory, difficulty speaking and eating, and walks only with the help of a walker.Griesbaum smelled of alcohol but admitted to consuming only four beers before the crash, testimony heard Wednesday in Madison County Circuit Court indicated.Berry told the jury the beer was consumed over a period of time and had no bearing on the crash.Several witnesses testified Wednesday that there were patches off ice and glazed snow on Illinois Route 160 near Highland, where the crash occurred.Testimony ended Thursday when Napp rejected Henson as an expert. During hours of questioning, Henson said he had a doctor of philosophy degree, but it was in business administration.Uhe questioned him about his doctorate, which is from Walden University. Uhe questioned whether the doctorate was earned online. Henson said it was not.Henson also is involved in consulting on matters of driving under the influence, including breath-analysis testing and urine testing. He also testified that he administers alcohol to test subjects for experimental and educational purposes.His website advertises that he is a the founder of Beron Consulting of Peoria. His website advertises that he is a former police officer and police academy instructor, among a wide range of other qualifications.The site states he is a court-qualified expert in 12 areas involving alcohol and drug testing.He testified that he earned just under $5,000 for his work in the Griesbaum case, including $1,000 for his court appearance Thursday.sanfordschmidt@yahoo.comCopyright: ___ (c)2013 The Telegraph (Alton, Ill.) Visit The Telegraph (Alton, Ill.) at www.thetelegraph.com Distributed by MCT Information Services儲存倉