Stephen Smith was sentenced in a Rock Island County Courtroom Monday October 29th to 7 years in prison for running over and killing 44 year old Matthew Pohl back in February after a drug deal went wrong.
Smith faced up to 10 years in prison on the charge of failing to report an accident that involved a death – the judge today sentenced smith to 7 years in prison followed by 2 years of mandatory supervision –
The incident happened on February 22nd when Pohl and Smith, who were friends at the time, met for a drug deal in the 2400 block of 16th Street in Moline. Smith attempted to steal the money from Pohl and when Pohl tried to stop him, Smith hit and killed him with his SUV and drove off.
The judge stated that Smith’s failure to report the accident and his attempt to cover the crime shows his lack of remorse for the victim.
The courtroom was filled with tearful testimony from both families and lasted over 2 hours.
Smith must report to serve his sentence on January 1, 2013. He does have the right to appeal the sentence.
