A Plymouth woman will spend the next year behind bars for a hit-and-run that took the life of a 39-year-old Crystal man.

Taylor Hohmann was sentenced to one year in jail and five years probation for the hit-and-run death of Michael Rymer last March.

Rymer, a husband and father of three young daughters, had been out at a Crystal bar with friends drinking on March 20.  

Around 1:30 a.m. on March 20, witnesses at the scene told Crystal police officers that they saw Rymer lying on the road in the 5300 block of West Broadway. Rymer was attempting to get up when police say an SUV driven by Hohmann struck and killed him.

Hohmann never stopped and later told police she thought she had hit a pothole.
 
At Hohmann's sentencing Friday afternoon, nine of Rymer's family members spoke, including Rymer's wife, Heather, and their three daughters. Heather Rymer told Judge Mark Wernick, their family will never be the same and pleaded for the judge to give Hohmann more than a year in jail.

"How do you hit someone and not know?", Rymer told the judge. "How do you hit a 6-foot tall, 200-pound man, and think it's a pothole?"

Rymer's family also pointed to Hohmann's previous arrests for DWI and pending assault charges in another county as examples of what they called "reckless behavior."

Hohnmann did apologize to the family in court. Fighting back tears, Hohmann told the family, "I'm very sorry to all the family and friends for your loss."

Under the conditions of the plea agreement, Judge Wernick sentenced Hohmann to one year in jail, which she begins serving immediately, five years of probation, and $6,000 in fines and $14,000 in restitution. If Hohmann violates any of the terms of her probation, she will face an additional four years in jail.

The Rymer family said they were glad to see justice served, but they didn't feel it was enough time.

"It's not close to what she deserves for what she did to us," said Heather Rymer.


Alexandra Renslo reporting
arenslo@twelve.tv

Friday, March 11, 2011