By Bryse Thornwell ’16

The court trial for former Sherwood student Austin Donovan Hall came to a close on September 10. Hall pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol, as well as causing the vehicular manslaughter of Shawn Gangloff and the life threatening injury to Max Dechter. Evidence shows that Hall lost control of his car while driving at 119 mph, and that he possessed a blood-alcohol content of 0.11 two and a half hours after the crash.

Hall was originally sentenced to eight years in prison, but the Judge reduced the sentencing to 18 months along with five years of probation and 150 hours of community service. The judge also said he wanted to see Hall speak in schools and other organizations about the dangers of drunk driving.

When Hall spoke to the courtroom, he said “Words can’t describe the way I feel about everything that happened.” Hall pleaded guilty because he wanted to take responsibility for his actions as well as make a difference in the community by talking about what happened. Hall’s attorney in September 10 Washington Post article describes him as “‘a good person’ from a good family who made a ‘horrible mistake.’”