A 73-year-old defendant was sentenced to the maximum 12 years in prison Friday for vehicular homicide by intoxication in the death of a 27-year-old wife and mother after a 2022 crash on Lebanon’s town square.
Sandra Strickland took responsibility for her actions and apologized as Judge Michael Collins issued the sentence during an emotionally intense hearing in Wilson County Friday as seven family members and friends of victim Ashley Bailey spoke about the impact the April 25, 2022 deadly 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, said after the hearing. “I know that a lot of people in the community have followed along for this entire case.
“The support has been overwhelming. If people are like me and feel this isn’t enough time for the crime, talk to your local representative and your legislators.”
Sandra Strickland, right, after being sentenced in Wilson County on Dec. 20, 2024.
Vehicular homicide by intoxication is a Class B felony that carries an 8-12-year prison sentence, according to 15th Judicial District Attorney General Jason Lawson.
Prosecutors argued that Strickland was intoxicated when she crashed into Ashley Bailey’s car at about 4:30 p.m. on that April day in the square. Bailey was killed and her three-year-old son was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated and later released. Strickland’s vehicle reached at or near 80 miles-per-hour when the crash occurred, based on testimony.
The sentencing came after Strickland entered an open plea in October, putting an end to trial proceedings that had already gotten underway, police said at the time.
Family and friends who made impact statements in court Friday spoke about Ashley Bailey’s hugs and her devotion to her little boy, Colson.
“You have broken me, and I am slowly trying to put the pieces back together,” Larry Bailey said during his emotional statement.
He and the other speakers requested the maximum sentence allowed by law for Strickland and many expressed deep anger towards her, saying she’d shown a lack of remorse throughout the court process.
That was amplified by a quip that Strickland reportedly made. She said the court system was the reason she pleaded guilty when answering a standard question from the judge in October about being pressured to enter an open plea, according to testimony. Strickland followed up by saying she was joking, the testimony noted.
“You heard a lot of pain today,” District Attorney General Jason Lawson said after the speakers had finished.
Strickland, wearing an orange jail suit, also took an opportunity to speak during the Friday hearing.
“I would like everyone to know that I accept responsibility for my actions,” she said. “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.”
After the statement, Strickland faced where family and friends were sitting and apologized.
When Strickland entered the open plea in October, she essentially admitted guilt without a sentencing agreement from prosecutors, so the judge had the final say in how much time she would spend behind bars.
Strickland’s original sentencing date was scheduled for Dec. 10, but she checked herself into a local hospital that day, causing the judge to revoke her bond, order Wilson County Sheriff’s Office personnel to guard her hospital room and to take her to jail upon discharge, officials said.
According to testimony, Strickland went to the hospital because of a heart issue, though the prosecution did not believe it involved an emergency.
The April crash that killed Bailey occurred shortly after Strickland left Chili’s Bar & Grill in Lebanon, according to prosecutors. A civil lawsuit has been filed in connection with the case, alleging that workers at the Lebanon Chili’s knowingly sold alcoholic drinks and allowed Strickland to leave despite the fact that she was intoxicated.
Larry Bailey, left and Ashley Bailey, right, with son Colson Bailey.
There were other charges filed against Strickland as a result of the April crash, but only the vehicular homicide by intoxication charge was prosecuted as part of the plea. A DUI charge that was issued against Strickland is effectively absorbed into the vehicular homicide by intoxication charge, Lawson said.
Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com and on X, formerly known as Twitter @ AndyHumbles.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Strickland, 73, gets max penalty for crash that killed Tennessee mom