Moffat County resident Dillon Burch has just been sentenced today. Burch, who turns 21 later this month, was the driver in a fatal single-vehicle rollover accident last December on Moffat County Road 31. 15-year-old Macy Booco from Craig died in the accident. District Attorney Matthew Tjosvold said Burch’s Blood Alcohol Content was .118 and a “metabolite of cocaine was detected,” which signifies use. In court, it was discussed that the accident happened with four people in the car when they were driving on County Road 31 to look for and run over rabbits.
In the case of the Vehicular Homicide – Reckless, District Judge Sandra Gardner sentenced Burch today to five years of supervised probation, he must abstain from the use of alcohol and illegal controlled substances, he must submit to random urine tests, he must have a mental health assessment, and he must participate in an annual impact panel with MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). He has already taken the required alcohol education classes. He must also give back to the community with 250 hours of public service. He will lose his drivers license for a period of time. He is unable to lawfully bear firearms and this affects hunting, which he will work out with his probation officer.
In the 3rd degree assault charge, which is a class one misdemeanor, Burch will serve two years of supervised probation to run concurrently. Judge Gardner also imposed a 90-day jail sentence which is the maximum time that can be sentenced, plus 60 days on the misdemeanor, to run concurrently. He is able to earn trustee status after 30 days and earn some work assignments.
Burch is to report to jail under COVID protocols, at 7 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 18. If not vaccinated for COVID, he will be tested. He is reporting to probation today.
Burch pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and reckless driving in August. At that time, all parties agreed that the sentence should be mandatory supervised probation for five years.
Larry Booco, Macey’s father, wrote a letter to the court that said, “I hope when he (Burch) gets a family, that he never has to go through this. A parent should never have to bury his kid.”
Judge Gardner said the court received about 50 letters from residents in the community, supporting Dillon Burch. She said she read them all. Judge Gardner said it was a difficult case, “set into place by the poor judgment that we so often see with our youth.” She added that she has no doubt Dillon Burch will remember that day every day for the rest of his life, and that he is a good person who committed a terrible act. She said “reckless” means it was not an accident and that people can act recklessly yet still be good people.
Judge Gardner added, “Do not let what may be the worst day of your life define the rest of your life.”
Dillon Burch made a statement to the court, in which he did break down. He started by thanking Judge Gardner, his own family, and Macey’s family.
“I used sincerely bad judgment on Dec. 13, 2020. I know I did and I know every single day and I lost my friend and its my fault that she is not here today. And Macey’s family lost their daughter, and sister, and they remember their loss every single morning when they wake up and Macey is not there any more. There is no way I could ever do anything to make this up for that loss. I understand how angry Macey’s friends and family are at me and rightfully so. They have every right to be incredibly angry. I do not blame them one bit. Not at all. I have heard the same people in my community say that I am not remorseful enough. I want to tell you today that this is far from the truth. The truth is that I feel Macey’s death every day.”
“Those who do know me have witnessed the regret and deep remorse I have for my actions. I will live with that for the rest of my life. I will see the disappointment in my family’s eyes and my friend’s eyes and most importantly, Macey’s family’s eyes. I know that I failed them, all of them. I know that I should never have given Macey and Kindra the beer that night. My choice to taste the cocaine was a stupid thing to do. However, the worst decision I made that night was to get behind the wheel of my truck and drive.”
“As a result of my poor judgment, and decision making, my friend lost her life.”
“This hearing today is not about me. It’s about Macey’s death and my causing of it. It is about how deeply my actions have affected everyone in both of the families and the town of Craig. I want to acknowledge that I understand and believe this and I fully accept responsibility for my actions and the pain I have caused.”
Burch went on to talk about his love for Craig and how his family has grown up in the community. He told how he appreciates his family and their character and how he hopes to pass those traits along to his own family in the future.
“I have learned a profound lesson for this and this is a lesson I will never ever forget as long as I live. To Macey’s family, I am so deeply and genuinely sorry for what I have done to Macey and to you. There are truly not words to express this. Please know how much I regret what I have done.”