Motorist gets probation in go-kart hit-and-run.

Byline: Bill Bishop The Register-Guard

It was a close call, but a judge on Wednesday ruled that the driver in a hit-and-run collision with a child on a go-kart last July in Springfield qualifies for probation instead of a mandatory prison term required under a law passed in memory of a Pleasant Hill girl.

Lane County Circuit Judge Eveleen Henry noted that the sentence imposed on the driver, Lee Ann Dodd, 43, of Springfield, has nothing to do with the severe injuries suffered by the boy. That was an accident, Henry said. Instead, the sentence is for failing to stop, render aid and exchange information in an accident involving serious injury, Henry said.

Oregon law allows probation in the case only if it would serve community safety by helping to reform the offender, and if treatment is applicable and available for the offender. Dodd could have faced an 18-month prison term required under "Katie's Law," a bill named after Katie Lovelace, the Pleasant Hill girl killed by a hit-and-run driver in 2000.

Dodd claimed that she panicked after the boy's go-kart jetted into the street in front of her Buick around 6 p.m. on July 20 as she drove along I Street in Springfield.

"I froze for a minute. I was so shocked," Dodd told the judge. "I just lost it and left the scene. I turned myself in. I had to do the right thing, and I did. I am very sorry for any injuries I caused that boy."

Police determined that the car, with the boy and his go-kart jammed beneath it, traveled about 80 feet before stopping, Deputy Lane County District Attorney Erik Hasselman said. The boy's mother, Debra Bodhaine, and a neighbor ran to the scene and shouted for Dodd to back up in order to free the injured boy. Dodd complied, but then drove away, Hasselman told the judge.

Dodd phoned police the next day and turned herself in.

Defense lawyer Clara Rigmaiden explained that Dodd was frightened by the collision and panicked after the women started screaming that she had killed the boy.

Dodd was driving to the home of a friend for emotional support after having sat through seven hours of reconstructive facial surgery for her daughter, who had been injured in a bicycle accident, Rigmaiden said. Dodd also had been taking a number of prescription drugs for depression and for chronic pain, she said.

Rigmaiden presented Henry with a brief psychological summary report, outlining Dodd's condition. She noted Dodd is in counseling and getting medical help to get off some of the prescription drugs.

Henry considered the report and said it wasn't enough to merit probation. Rigmaiden then presented two more thorough psychological evaluations that had been done before the accident, which Henry reviewed for several minutes in court.

"I believe this is one of those rare cases that does fit the criteria," Henry concluded.

But Henry warned Dodd that any violation of probation will result in the maximum 18-month prison term.

While on probation, Dodd must serve six months in the sheriff's custody, which may include the work-release program so she can continue working. Dodd also must pay a $5,000 fine to the crash victim. Additionally, she must complete psychological therapy and have no contact with the victim or his family. A one-year driver's license suspension is mandatory for the crime.

After the hearing, Bodhaine said she and her son agree with the judge.

"We're satisfied," she said. "She (Dodd) made a mistake."

The 13-year-old boy, who suffered eight broken ribs, a broken collarbone, collapsed lung and ruptured spleen and spent five days in critical condition after the accident, said he has recovered without lingering pain.