Woman who killed four in SUV crash sent to jail

The woman who killed four people when her SUV slammed into a northwest valley bus stop in 2005, was put behind bars in connection with the crash for the first time on Tuesday.

Veronica Schmidt must serve 180 days behind bars, after Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge Toy Gregory revoked her suspended sentence for the quadruple-fatal car crash because Schmidt failed to complete 60 hours of community service and pay almost $5,000 in court fees and fines.

"I think her actions have been irresponsible," Gregory said in court. "She didn't show her best effort (to finish the community service). She showed little effort."

Dressed in a gray hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans, Schmidt wept but said nothing as the judge admonished her. After the hearing, a bailiff handcuffed Schmidt and led her out of Gregory's courtroom.

On March 14, 2005, Schmidt lost control of her Ford Explorer and rammed into a bus stop near Smoke Ranch and Rock Springs roads, killing Raquel and Angelica Jimenez, 16 and 14, Samantha Allen, 36, and Reginald Williams, 16.

Schmidt had the prescription drug Xanax in her system at the time of the crash.

But the Clark County district attorney's office didn't file charges against Schmidt, saying that there wasn't enough evidence to show she was under the influence during the crash.

After the city of Las Vegas pursued misdemeanor charges against her, Schmidt entered an Alford plea to driving under the influence of prescription drugs and reckless driving. She received eight months house arrest and was to complete community service and attend DUI classes.

An Alford plea is not an admission of guilt but acknowledges that if the case were to go to trial, there would be significant evidence for conviction.

Schmidt was nowhere to be found during a seven-day civil trial in November. Her attorney had hired three private investigators to find her so he could take her deposition, but came up empty.

The jury in the civil case ruled against Schmidt, awarding the families of the victims in the crash a total of $1 million.

Family members of the victims called Schmidt callous and unsympathetic for not attending the trial.

A lawyer said in court Tuesday that Schmidt had spent at least some of that time at a local Budget Suites motel.

During Tuesday's hearing, Assistant Las Vegas City Attorney Ben Little said Schmidt didn't appear to take the conditions of her suspended sentence seriously. Little described Schmidt as a "stubborn mule" who refused to complete the requirements of her sentence even though the city was pulling her from the front and community groups were pushing her from behind.

She had completed only 191/2 hours of the required 60 hours of community service when a Nov. 16 deadline passed. Of the nearly $5,000 in fines, she had paid only $100, Little said.

Jason Weiner, Schmidt's attorney, said she took the conditions of her probation seriously and attempted to complete all the requirements. She had completed her 60 hours of community service, just not by the deadline, he said.

During the summer, Schmidt was directed to go to a community organization, HELP of Southern Nevada, to perform community service. However, she was turned away because HELP of Southern Nevada only accepts people who are trying to complete community service for the county court system, not the municipal court system, Weiner said.

Schmidt also has ongoing heart problems and is equipped with a pacemaker, he said. She spent several days in a local hospital in early July because of health issues and was given a doctor's order not to perform any strenuous work in the outdoors.

But that wasn't enough to persuade Gregory to keep Schmidt out of jail.

"The defendant was given every opportunity by everyone ... and she didn't act very responsibly on her part," he said.

Contact reporter David Kihara at dkihara@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-4638.