Ex-UNC coach allowed to still drive after fatal crash
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) â After killing an 89-year-old pedestrian last year, former University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill womenâs basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell has appealed her guilty plea and received a more lenient sentence that will allow her to still drive.
Hatchellâs attorney told Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson on Monday that his client couldnât afford to lose her driverâs license for a year if the conviction were allowed to stand, WRAL-TV reported.
The former coach hit Betty Colby with her car in January 2020, causing Colby to hit her head on the pavement of a parking lot. She died two days later.
Hatchell, 69, pleaded guilty in September to misdemeanor death by vehicle and unsafe movement.
She was originally sentenced to 30 days, which was suspended for six months of unsupervised probation. She was also ordered to complete 50 hours of community service, pay a $150 fine and $150 in court costs.
Colbyâs daughters said Hatchell never tried to help their mother after hitting her and asked that she be held to her earlier plea and sentence.
âI feel like sheâs using her notoriety once again to explain and excuse her behavior, and thatâs not OK,â DâAnn Colby said.
But Hudson agreed to grant Hatchell a âprayer for judgment continued.â That means the conviction wonât be on her record, but the court could still pass judgment later if she commits another offense.
âIâm truly sorry for your loss, and I wish I could do something about it. But I feel like I can never satisfy you on what an appropriate judgment can be,â Hudson told Colbyâs family.
Hatchell has not had any other driving infractions, her attorney said. After the court hearing, Hatchell said sheâs trying to honor Colbyâs life moving forward.
Hatchell, the winningest womenâs basketball coach in Atlantic Coast Conference History, resigned in April 2019. An external review found she had made âracially insensitiveâ comments and applied âundue influenceâ regarding playersâ ability to compete through medical issues.