Do cars and trucks kill? Not really. It is people who drive reckless that kill. When people are killed in car accidents, it is tragic. Perhaps there is no better example of tragedy then what occurred in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Sabrina Stanek, a mother of two, was trying to tell a driver to slow down when she was struck and killed on Belmont Lane in Lawrenceville. According to Ashley Hawk, Constantine Toncz, 39, was driving the Ford pickup that struck and killed her friend. Toncaz had allegedly been driving down the road faster then the 25 mph speed limit several times that Sunday night. Stanek, 25, ran out to the side of the road to wave him down. But Toncz apparently ran off the road and hit her. Sabrina was crushed between the front of Tonez truck and another truck parked off the street.
According to Ashley Hawk, Constanine Toncz thought he had hit a garbage can. Toncz then parked his truck at the end of the road, and allegedly ran away. (Toncz may have certain defenses. For example, he may have merely ran to his home to call 911 as has been suggested by B.H. in the comments.) He was apprehended a short time later. TOM REGAN: Woman Run Over, Killed
According to Ashley Hawk, Constanine Toncz thought he had hit a garbage can. Toncz then parked his truck at the end of the road, and allegedly ran away. (Toncz may have certain defenses. For example, he may have merely ran to his home to call 911 as has been suggested by B.H. in the comments.) He was apprehended a short time later. TOM REGAN: Woman Run Over, Killed
Sabrina Stanek was the mother of Cira and Cody, ages four and five. Toncz has been charged with felony vehicular homicide, DUI, and felony leaving the scene of an accident. Keep in mind, that all of the above are merely allegations. Toncz is to be considered innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Update 6-29-11: A reader has informed us that the case will be tried on August 29, 2011. Hopefully we will all be kept informed.
Update 9-6-11: A reader has informed us that the defendant was convicted of a felony and received a sentence which will require him to serve around 8 years. See the September 5 comment for details.
Update 9-6-11: A reader has informed us that the defendant was convicted of a felony and received a sentence which will require him to serve around 8 years. See the September 5 comment for details.
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50 comments:
She should have called the cops instead of trying to take the law into her own hands.
Yeah, what gives. Call the cops if someone is driving recklessly.
Call the cops? Get real when would they have responded? Right after he ran over one of the children? To crush her between his truck and a parked vehicle seems intentional
The cops have been called many times and would never show or do anything she was trying to save the life of not only her children but many others that play right in front of her house...
She was the best Mother, daughter, sister and friend all she ever did was take care of everybody else and when the law wouldnt help she tried I love and miss her very much...
you know what, i knew sabrina and shes just like me i woulndt call no cops, she was a good mother and dindt deserve to die that way. if it was up to me i would put that guy in a room with me and beat em with my fist till he died.
She sounds like a hero. It is a shame too many heros end up martyrs.
Sue the cops for sitting on their butts!
Write editorials. Get the problem solved so that her life is not in vain!
R.I.P. Sabrina.... you will be greatly missed. :'(
This woman was one of my best friends and she was NOT one to sit around and wait for the cops to try and take care of it! ANYONE who knew her knows how much she cared about her children and ANY of us would have done the same thing as her! She was NOT trying to take the law into her own hands...she was trying to keep her children's lives in her hands...
We are with you Ashley!
Me too Ash. Sabrina was a hero for her kids!
I did not know Sabrina but I know about her from a family member. She was sweet and funny and courageous and loved her kids without measure. As she rests in God's loving arms may her spirit join with the spirit of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ to bring comfort to her children and family.
Sabrina was a pistol and would never back down. She did what she thought was right.
Sabrina was a pistol...go big or go home! She always did everything big...she couldn't just lose one tooth, she would lose three. She did things like that her whole life...until Sunday. Now, she is on national news spots and M.A.D.D. are trying to get involved. We all love her and her children and will miss her tremendously. Thank you for your support of her family.
Ashley! Exactly, You got it right.
Sabrina died being Sabrina. She would have had it no other way. She died fighting to protect her children and others from this dangerous habit of reckless endangerment.
May Sabrina live in peace and her children grow up to know how much she loved them.
M.D.
The Sabrina Story needs to be made into a movie!
Wish the ending could have been better.
sabrina victimized her own children by being in the middle of the rd as a f350 was coming around the corner. It was 9:30 at night and her children were asleep and safe.
Perhaps. But Sabrina was protecting all kids in the neighborhood, including those that don't go to bed at 9:00.
Why doesn't the media tell the truth and stop trying to make something sound like a hollywood movie. Sabrina Stanek was high on ILLEGAL drugs when she ran out into the middle of the road at 930pm in dark clothes to do what???Constantin DID NOT leave the scene he ran to his house which was 5 houses down to call 911. The dents in his truck were not caused by pinning her between two trucks they were cause by him trying to avoid hitting her and hitting two cars park on the side of the road. Her children were in bed and safe and she put her own life in danger and victimized her children and his entire family as well.
ASHLEY,
are her children safe now..She is dead and they are motherless. Doing everything big and what a pistol, let me tell you something when you have children sit in the damn house and call the police. She was also high on illegal drugs what about that??? How come the media doesn't report that??? cause then the hollywood story wouldn't sound as good as it does. Nobody was crushed my god people
It was suicide
Now, as always there are two sides to every story. Would really appreciate the driver telling us his version.
This is the first I have heard about toxicology reports documenting illegal substances...
Even if she was under the influence, suicide is volitional and this sure doesn't look like suicide in any way shape or form!
That's the whole problem the media doesn't report the rest of the story. I am not trying to take away from or minimize anyone’s loss. It was a tragic thing that happened. The truly innocent people are the children who did nothing to contribute to this. I also in no way am trying to justify or condone what happened. I only want him to have a fair trial based on facts and not be persecuted, tried and found guilty in the media by lies when there is no burden of proof. I am just trying to make sure the true facts of the case are heard as I know them to be true. I am not speculating or guessing. The things that I state are things that I know first hand to be true. I continually read false accusations and blatant lies that only hurt the other victims of this tragedy, his children. So, what you should know about me is that my only motive is to stop the spread of untrue statements and false speculation through the social media as well as what is supposed to be the news media that supposedly reports the truth. So all I ask is that everyone does their research and only state the facts if they are going to post things for others to read. BH
Differences of opinion interpreting the facts is often why jury trials are necessary. BH or Ashley, when is the trial?
Legal Pub; Trial should start March 28th 2011, but is subject to change.
B.Hamillton you do not have first hand information or you are filtering yourself...trying to tilt the balance back in the direction in favor of Toncz.
Give us an update please!
All the update I can give you now would be that Toncz has had an additional charge added to his other charges. He has been out on bond for several months. His trial should start 03/28/2011 but is always subject to change. As for B. Hamilton every single detail she was stating as TRUTH was either a straigt up lie or a twisted version of the truth...after all those make the best lies don't they... take a slither of truth and add what you want to believe. In her defence she could have been fed these lies but at any rate spreading this venium on Sabrina's memorial page was ...well...I let you guys fill in the blank. I cannot address these lies until after the trial, but will be more than happy to when this is all over. Until then I pray for this women B.H. as well as Toncz, his family, especially his children. As for Sabrina's family they have always been in my prayers and always will be.
This case has been continued again due to Toncz's lawyer. The next possible trial start date is April 24th, 2011.
Delay, delay, delay....
Please keep us posted. Jusice one way or the other will be found.
More delay...The DA who has been in charge of this case has been transferred. The case gets a new Lawyer to take over. Needless to say they will not be going to trail april 25th. May not go in May either since there is a trail already on calendar for May. So looking at probably June for a trail. Yeah and that is the anniversary Month of when it happened. The two year mark, unbelieveable!
Thanks for the update. Often where we see delay, there is a plea bargain about to happen behind the scenes. A plea could happen here. Otherwise, you are right, looks like june.
No plea...His lawyer is pretty confident he can get him off. Plea, get him off, or sentenceing for the max any of the afore mentioned or those not mentioned will be the result of God's will.
Not sure if God's Will will be done. But I am confident that a Jury and the Judge's Will will be done. That's our system of justice and all suspects are innocent unless proven otherwise in a court of law.
The case has been appointed to a new lawyer. The next possible date will be August ( which is doubtful because they have another pre-set case) Looking more like September.
thanks for the update. please keep us informed.
This case has a pre-set trial date, set by the Judge. It is August 29th. For all those who are wondering what pre-set means, it means it will go to trial on this date no matter what.
Thanks. the trial date is posted on the front page as an update. Please keep us informed.
Toncz will be entering a GUILTY plea this Fri. the 26th of August. He is pleading guilty to DUI vehicular homicide. He will get 15yrs. do 10yrs.Still isn't over just yet but it is closer and at least both families do not have to go through a trial.
Sorry people needed some time for this to sink in...still don't know if it has yet but anyhoo. Toncz was sentenced this past Fri. to 15yrs do 9yrs. The DA's recommendation was 15 do 10...10being the cap on time serving. (that's the law)His lawyer asked for 15 do 5...The Judge was going to give him 15 do 8 until I spoke on Sabrina's behalf. He did get credit for time served which was 17mths. so he will be in state prison for 7yrs and 5 mths then be on paroled probation until the 15ys are up. He will do 40 hours community service (for the DUI) He will undergo drug and alchol testing and do classes ect... The other thing his lawyer asked for was 1st offenders ( which is after he does all his time and things he needs to do, the felony charge gets erased off his record) Judge said no way it stays on. He was taken into custody right after the proceedings and that was it. Thanks you for all your prayers and your continued prayers. The trial may be done but this is far from over. At least this stepping stone has been crossed off the list as done. God Bless and Keep you all.
God is a God of forgiveness and mercy which we all find ourselves in need of. That's why his Son bared the cross. God has forgiven Toncz. Unforgiveness is a prison of its own. My prayer for you is that one day you will find forgiveness in your heart also. May God bless us all. God bless the children in both families.
BH: closure is good for all. God does indeed work in mysterious ways.
God is a God of forgiveness and mercy which we all find ourselves in need of. That's why his Son bared the cross. God has forgiven Toncz. Unforgiveness is a prison of its own. My prayer for you is that one day you will find forgiveness in your heart also. May God bless us all. God bless the children in both families.
Yup, god kicks butt
Toncz's ex-wife and daughter has petitioned the board of parole for a hearing to ask that he be paroled. Letters of protest can be sent to the offices of victim services, State of Ga parole board. you can state how this crime has effected you personally and why you feel he should not get parole.
Prosecutors are expected to make a plea offer to save the courts time with a trial. Any plea bargain begins with the defendant pleading guilty to get the offered deal. Some defendants who are innocent take the plea when their lawyer uses a scare tactic and tells them that he will be convicted with the evidence against him and it would result in a long prison sentence. The only option left too often is to take the plea deal to get a shorter sentence.
However, once in court and the deal is presented to the judge and the judge will ask the defendant if he is pleading guilty and is aware of the possible sentence he could get. What many people don't realize and lawyers don't tell their clients is that the judge does not have to honor the plea agreement sentence recommendation. The judge can accept the guilty plea and still order the maximum sentence allowed by law.
So defendants should weigh the options very carefully before taking a plea agreement.
The prosecutor can offer a very sweet deal because he knows the judge may not even honor the plea agreement sentence recommendation.
Most plea agreements also have a clause that if the defendant agrees to the plea agreement - he may not appeal the conviction.
She was not walking her dog, she was not checking her mail, she was not jogging around the block nor was she walking around the block. Her children were not in the road.
She...for what ever reason left the comfort of her garage and friends to run towards a MOVING vehicle.
I think Toncz just happened to be in that vehicle; It could have been anyone.
Can we trust the media telling us the truth?
The media, like any industry, is driven by profit making.This is often achieved by creating sensational and attention grabbing news at the price of exaggerating or distorting the truth behind the news stories.
I was Sabrina's first kiss and she was mine. She was a sweet heart and so cute as a kid in Lawrenceville . This is a shame.
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