July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Time to forgive and move on (09/02/2008)
Editorial
It is time for Robert Spencer to be left alone.
It's time for him to get on with what remains of his life.
He'll wake up every day knowing that a misjudgment on his part - a misjudgment a thousand truckers may make today - cost five lives.
Robert Spencer is the truck driver who stayed too long on the road, fell asleep at the wheel of his semi, crossed into the oncoming lane, and killed four Taylor University students and a Taylor employee.
Imagine, for a second, that you are Robert Spencer.
You're on the road. You're pushing it. And you've made the stupid decision to push it even further. Then, your eyelids drop, you're out of it, and you awake to the horror of having killed five people. Now, imagine going on with your life.
If you think that's an easy path, you are kidding yourself.
The Spencer case bounced into Jay County on one of those bits of judicial happenstance.
Because of the overwhelming publicity about the accident, especially when it turned out that the coroner had misidentified one of the victims, a change of venue was necessary.
But that change of venue did not result in a trial.
Instead, Robert Spencer entered a plea of guilty.
At a time in our history when taking personal responsibility is more of a political slogan than a pattern for human behavior, Spencer's guilty plea made sense.
Jay Circuit Court Judge Brian Hutchison must have thought so, because his sentence reflected Spencer's acceptance of responsibility. It may also have reflected Spencer's willingness to accept punishment; instead of bonding out, the truck driver chose to remain in jail until his case came before the bench.
Last week, amid one of those 21st century media flurries that makes those of us in the news media cringe, Robert Spencer was released from prison. He made a brief appearance at the Jay County Courthouse to have the monitoring of his probation transferred to Michigan, where he lives.
And now it's time for him to get on with his life.
The best example in this sad and dreadful series of events has been set by Taylor University, which has demonstrated the Christian principles of forgiveness upon which it was founded. Now, it's time for the rest of us to follow suit.
It's time for forgiveness. It's time for Robert Spencer to rebuild his life. It's time for the news media to let go.
It's time. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
It's time for him to get on with what remains of his life.
He'll wake up every day knowing that a misjudgment on his part - a misjudgment a thousand truckers may make today - cost five lives.
Robert Spencer is the truck driver who stayed too long on the road, fell asleep at the wheel of his semi, crossed into the oncoming lane, and killed four Taylor University students and a Taylor employee.
Imagine, for a second, that you are Robert Spencer.
You're on the road. You're pushing it. And you've made the stupid decision to push it even further. Then, your eyelids drop, you're out of it, and you awake to the horror of having killed five people. Now, imagine going on with your life.
If you think that's an easy path, you are kidding yourself.
The Spencer case bounced into Jay County on one of those bits of judicial happenstance.
Because of the overwhelming publicity about the accident, especially when it turned out that the coroner had misidentified one of the victims, a change of venue was necessary.
But that change of venue did not result in a trial.
Instead, Robert Spencer entered a plea of guilty.
At a time in our history when taking personal responsibility is more of a political slogan than a pattern for human behavior, Spencer's guilty plea made sense.
Jay Circuit Court Judge Brian Hutchison must have thought so, because his sentence reflected Spencer's acceptance of responsibility. It may also have reflected Spencer's willingness to accept punishment; instead of bonding out, the truck driver chose to remain in jail until his case came before the bench.
Last week, amid one of those 21st century media flurries that makes those of us in the news media cringe, Robert Spencer was released from prison. He made a brief appearance at the Jay County Courthouse to have the monitoring of his probation transferred to Michigan, where he lives.
And now it's time for him to get on with his life.
The best example in this sad and dreadful series of events has been set by Taylor University, which has demonstrated the Christian principles of forgiveness upon which it was founded. Now, it's time for the rest of us to follow suit.
It's time for forgiveness. It's time for Robert Spencer to rebuild his life. It's time for the news media to let go.
It's time. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
Top Stories
9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit
Chartwells marketing
September 17, 2024 7:36 a.m.
Events
250 X 250 AD