Yet I stand here alone

Woman gets court supervision for parking car on top of fiancé

By Charles Keeshan

Daily Herald Staff Writer

On June 11, 2004 an intoxicated Amber Sturman ran over her boyfriend while leaving a party.

On June 11, 2006 the couple plan to be married.

In between, Sturman, 20, of Crystal Lake, will be under court supervision for a misdemeanor driving under the influence charge stemming from the night she parked her car atop fiancé Andy McDermand.

Judge Sharon Prather handed down the court supervision sentence Thursday, saying only Sturman’s age and clean record prevented a more serious punishment.

"Drunk driving is just not tolerable," Prather said. "It destroys lives and it destroys families. I sincerely hope that you have learned a very difficult lesson."

The sentence includes a $1,500 fine and a ban on Sturman drinking alcohol for the next two years.

Prather issued her ruling after a court hearing in which a tearful Sturman apologized to McDermand and her family for her actions last June.

"I’m thankful Andy is alive today," she said.

Authorities say Sturman and McDermand are lucky that is the case.

Police reports indicate both had been drinking at a gathering of friends in Huntley when they began arguing over who was sober enough to drive home. Despite McDermand’s protests, Sturman insisted she should drive and got behind the wheel of her Chevrolet Cavalier, police said.

McDermand then laid down in the path of her car in a final attempt to stop her. But Sturman continued forward, driving the vehicle’s two front tires over McDermand, then stopping and leaving him trapped beneath the wheels.

After friends unsuccessfully tried to pull the vehicle off of McDermand, police had to be called to extricate him. McDermand was later treated for minor injuries.

Authorities say tests showed Sturman had a blood-alcohol level of .146 when she tried to drive away from the party. Anything above .08 is considered intoxicated.

Sturman also is fortunate her punishment was not more severe. At McDermand’s urging prosecutors in December agreed to dismiss a felony charge of aggravated driving under the influence against Sturman and allow her to plead guilty to a misdemeanor.