STILLWATER, Minnesota — A photo montage brought tears to the eyes of the friends and family of Randy Kopesky, who filled a Washington County courtroom to share the impact the death of the former Lakeland Shores mayor, avid fisherman and family man had on them.
"He had just recently retired and was getting excited to spoil his grandkids," said Randy's brother-in-law, John Hardy.
Randy was killed in November 2019 when he pulled over on Interstate 94, got out of his vehicle, and was hit by a driver who crossed the fog line.
Brenda Hafemann only swerved 3.5 feet over the line — an accident under most circumstances. She wasn't drunk or high; she wasn't distracted and didn't fall asleep. But prosecutors say she has a jaw-dropping history of bad driving — with more than 30 complaints and 911 calls.
"These are crashes. These are citizens calling in who've never called in before about someone driving terribly," said Jake Fischmann, who served as prosecutor in the Washington County case.
"I fear the defendant will continue to drive and possibly kill another victim," said Randy's widow, Regina, in her victim impact statement she read as she sat next to their adult children, Patrick and Allison
Regina showed grace to Hafemann, saying she will try to forgive her.
"I have prayed for the defendant and her family daily," Regina said.
"She's very sorry. Sorry for your grandchildren, sorry for your friends and she's sorry for your family," said Hafemann's attorney John Daly.
Daly told the judge that Hafemann suffered a violent assault in 2016 and suffered a head injury. All of her driving issues happened after that, Daly pointed out.
"The pattern of driving conduct that had gone on, whatever the source was, was a warning bell. And it's a tragedy that you didn't hear that bell ring," said Judge Douglas Meslow before handing down the sentence.
Judge Meslow accepted a plea deal from Hafemann where she will serve 244 days in jail and is not allowed to drive for five years.
Hafemann will serve her sentence in a unique way: 85 days in jail now, and again a year from now. Then, she'll serve the last 72 days in 2024. That way, she will be behind bars on Randy's birthday, and the anniversary of his death.
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