Lacey Strange, the 18-year-old daughter of a Lompoc police sergeant, was sentenced on Jan. 24 to 120 days confinement in connection with the death of a Lompoc woman last May.
Appearing before Superior Court Judge Frank Ochoa in Santa Barbara, a tearful Strange apologized to the family of the victim, 56-year-old Rebecca Vegas, who was struck and killed by a vehicle driven by Strange as she crossed the intersection of West Ocean Avenue and J Street on May 13. Strange is the daughter of Lompoc sergeant Chuck Strange.
In addition to confinement, which the county’s probation department had yet to determine would be served in county jail or under house arrest, Strange’s license was suspended for three years, and she’ll be required to perform 100 hours of community service and pay an undetermined amount of restitution to Vegas’ family.
After several North County judges recused themselves from the case, Strange pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge in front of Judge Ochoa in December. She had faced a maximum sentence of one year in county jail and five years of probation.
This article appears in Feb 2-9, 2012.