Published Sunday, November 6, 2005

Driver Gets House Arrest
The former teacher avoids prison time in a 2004 accident that killed two children.

By CANDACE RONDEAUX
St. Petersburg Times

TAMPA -- After a marathon hearing that ran well into the early hours Saturday morning, a Hillsborough judge allowed teacher Jennifer Porter to avoid prison after pleading guilty in a March 2004 accident that left two children dead and two injured.

Judge Emmett Lamar Battles sentenced Porter to two years of house arrest, three years of probation, and 500 hours of community service work. She was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

The judge indicated that he gave great weight to the fact that she was a first-time offender, and appeared to be moved by the testimony of mental health experts.

"This offense, as horrible as it is, was committed in an unsophisticated manner," he said.
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