Catherine Frances Lyon
Prince Frederick, MD – A Calvert County woman was sentenced to 20 years Friday, Aug. 5 for being responsible for the deaths of a couple riding a tandem in the north end of the county last October.
Calvert County Circuit Court Judge E. Gregory Wells imposed the sentence on the defendant, Catherine Frances Lyon, 63 of Huntingtown. Back in May, Lyon pleaded guilty to two counts of negligent manslaughter by motor vehicle in connection with the deaths of John Henrik Fauerby, 64 and Lynne Frances Rosenbusch, 58, both of Clarksburg. The couple died Saturday afternoon, Oct. 31 after being struck from behind by a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Lyon on Tobacco Road near Chesapeake Beach. Wells gave Lyon 10 years in jail for each count and suspended all but 18 months of each count. The judge imposed five years’ probation as well as lifetime alcohol and driving restrictions on the defendant.
Among the speakers at the sentencing hearing was John Korin of Bicycle Advocates For Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, who lamented that “too much of the driving public do not know the rights and responsibilities of bicyclists.” Before adjourning the proceedings, Wells asked Korin if he would work with the Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office to find an appropriate community service project for Lyon when she is released from jail that would raise awareness of bicycle safety issues.
Assistant State’s Attorney Andrew Rappaport recommended a 20-year sentence for Lyon, noting that the defendant had consumed a pint of vodka prior to the crash. To illustrate the significant volume the defendant consumed, Rappaport placed 13 small plastic cups on the prosecution’s table, stating the defendant drank 13 shots before getting behind the wheel of the Jeep Cherokee. The prosecutor also noted that when police arrived, Lyon told them different stories about what she saw. After failing the sobriety tests administered by police at the crash scene, Lyon was arrested. Rappaport said while being transported Lyon told police, “I only had a few cocktails—no big deal.”
Rappaport read into the record a letter from another bicycle enthusiast, William Smith, who knew Fauerby and Rosenbusch (pictured above) very well and how he cried when he learned of their deaths. “I will always miss them,” Smith stated. Of the defendant, Smith stated, “she owns these actions.”
Lynne Rosenbusch’s sister Arlene said of the victims, “everything they did in life was to help other people.”
Lyon’s attorney, Joseph Carey, noted his client had no prior criminal or traffic record, adding “she has not driven since the incident.” Carey said Lyon had enrolled at the Carol Porto Treatment Center since the incident and asked the court require her to serve her sentence in the custody of that facility. “This [incident] is a DUI [driving under the influence] with the worst possible outcome,” said Carey. “She has been devastated.”
“I pray for them,” said Lyon of the victims of the accident she admitted was her responsibility.
“I think you are on the road to self-discovery but you owe something to the community,” Wells told Lyon. The judge referred to Fauerby and Rosenbusch “two beautiful people struck down in the prime of their lives.”
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com