A northern Ohio man who recorded grisly cellphone video of a car crash that killed one teenager and critically injured another has been sentenced to 30 days in jail.
The judge who sentenced Paul Pelton on Wednesday for vehicle trespass and disorderly conduct says he wishes he could've gone beyond the maximum penalty.
Prosecutors say Pelton opened a door of the wrecked vehicle to continue recording while others tried to help the two teens.
Lorain police said the 41-year-old made comments that the boys were "Idiots" in the July 13, 2015, incident and held his cell phone to film two boys who had crashed after crossing railroad tracks and colliding into a house in the 400 block of Kansas Avenue, according to NBC affiliate WKYC.
Police indicated he did not try to aid the boys throughout the entire filming of the video, the station reported.
The station reported that authorities said it does not appear that alcohol and drugs were a factor in the crash. Additionally, the station reported that an investigation revealed Pelton contacted at least two news organizations and tried to sell the video.
Pelton's attorneys said in court that he only opened the door because another bystander asked what was in the backseat.
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One defense attorney says Pelton realizes what he did was insensitive but added that it doesn't make him a criminal.
WKYC reported that the Lorain Police Department released the following comment:
The Lorain Police Department would like to remind citizens that they are allowed and encouraged to help one another in emergencies if they can do so safely, and that rendering aid or comfort to a dying young man and his severely injured friend is a commendable and kindly act. Persons are not, however, allowed to trespass into a person's vehicle criminally and without permission for the seemingly singular cause of filming, a young man's dying moments, for profit.
