Prison Sentence Reduced for Tausha Borland

The Tulsa World is reporting that Tausha Borland, who killed two cyclists in 2009 while driving under the influence, will now serve twenty years instead of the original 24 year sentence:

At a one-year judicial review conducted Tuesday, Kellough modified that sentence to 20 years in prison plus four years of probation.

Kellough indicated that punishment, rehabilitation and protection of the public were factors he considered in reaching his decision.

On the prison term, Borland must serve 85 percent - 17 years - before being eligible for parole or release. She has been in jail or prison since September 2010 and gets credit on her new sentence for time already served.

She also pleaded guilty in 2010 to a misdemeanor DUI and pleaded no contest to a felony count of leaving the scene of the fatal collision.

Kellough originally sentenced Borland to a five-year suspended sentence for the leaving-the-scene offense and imposed a consecutive one-year suspended sentence for the DUI misdemeanor. Kellough did not modify the sentences on those two counts. The new, four-year suspended part of the manslaughter sentence runs consecutively with the six years of probation imposed in 2010.

Defense attorney Allen Smallwood, who requested the judicial review, said Borland has “performed extraordinarily well” while in the Department of Corrections.

Her DOC review report - which recommended that no modification be granted - indicates that Borland has completed various programs, got outstanding job-performance evaluations and been free of negative incidents and misconduct.

In a sentencing memorandum, Assistant District Attorney Erik Grayless wrote that Borland should not be rewarded for “doing what she is supposed to be doing.”

“Just because this defendant is doing what we expect she should do is not cause by itself for a sentencing modification,” Grayless wrote.

via Prison term lessened for woman convicted in bicyclists’ deaths | Tulsa World.

Borland swerved into Christa Voss and Matt Edmonds while driving through Sand Springs in 2009.

Borland will now serve 10 years on probation once she is released in 2030 instead of the original six years.

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