It’ll be more than a month before the woman who caused a fatal accident on Highway 133 last summer will get to say her piece in court. Basalt resident Christine Tinner had pleaded guilty to two counts of careless driving. She hit a car last August, killing the driver and injuring a passenger. Tinner had an emotional breakdown last Friday during her multi-day sentence hearing. That meant the judge couldn't make a final decision about the sentence. Now Tinner is scheduled to appear in court, and tell her side of the story, on April 21st.
The date was pushed into April to accommodate members of the victims’ families, who say they’re juggling expensive trips to Aspen and the spring break calendar. Tinner is facing up to a year in jail, community service, and restitution.
During Tuesday's status hearing, Pitkin County judge Erin Fernandez Ely clarified that Tinner has taught English to people learning it as their second language. Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo has said that skill would be helpful in the county jail, as part of Tinner’s ability to give back to the community
