Middle school mourns hit-run victim
By Loretta Kalb and Christina Jewett -- Bee Staff Writers
Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, June 2, 2005
********************************
Teen's killer in DUI gets 5 years
Parents outraged; judge says term fits the crimes.
By Janet Vitt -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Friday, August 4, 2006
Story appeared in Metro section, Page B1
Get weekday updates of Sacramento Bee headlines and breaking news. Sign up here.
Print | E-Mail | Comments (2)
As the parents of 13-year-old Michael Ramirez decried his killer's prison sentence as too short, former Sacramento Police Officer Jason March was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday for the drunken-driving, hit-and-run death of an Elk Grove boy last year.
"Mr. March, I've been on the bench for over 25 years, and it always amazes me that people don't understand the concept of 'Don't Drink and Drive,' " said Superior Court Judge Gary E. Ransom before handing down the sentence. "It is my fervent hope that your going to prison will keep at least one person in Sacramento from drinking and driving."
March, 30, pleaded no contest last month to charges of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence and hit-and-run in the May 31, 2005, death of Ramirez, a Harriet Eddy Middle School seventh-grader who had just stepped off a school bus.
Ransom said the sentence reflected the maximum he could impose under the crimes charged, and District Attorney spokeswoman Lana Wyant said the charges fit March's crime. A charge of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, which carries a longer sentence, would have required March to commit a more flagrant violation -- driving on the wrong side of the road, at excessive speeds or otherwise erratically, she said.
"It can't just be that he was driving drunk," she said. "And there wasn't any other (negligent) conduct in his driving."
March stood with his hands crossed and his eyes downcast for most of the half-hour hearing that featured a slide show of the boy's athletic accomplishments and life milestones. Occasionally he appeared to blink back tears.
After the hearing, March was handcuffed and taken to the Deuel Vocational Center in Tracy for evaluation and placement at a state prison.
"I'm mortified," said Danielle Ramirez, who said March has remained unremorseful for the death of her son.
"Until the last moment, I was holding out hope that he would say something (remorseful), but nothing. That's what kind of person he is."
March was arrested after a passerby saw his SUV run over the teen seconds after he stepped off a school bus and started to cross the road to retrieve a scooter he had stowed in the brambles that morning.
At the time of the accident, the off-duty officer's blood-alcohol level was about twice the legal limit because he had been drinking steadily all day as he played golf with his buddies at Bartley Cavanaugh Golf Course.
"I would trade places with Justin March in a second," said the boy's father, David Ramirez, struggling with his composure. "It would be much easier serving a five-year sentence than experiencing the pain that we're suffering."
More than 20 family members and friends attended the hearing and formed a circle on the courthouse steps afterward to pray for the boy and for March.
"We thank you for this portion of justice that this court has brought us," said the Rev. Zacchaeus Dunham Jr., the boy's grandfather, who pleaded with Ransom to add time to the five-year sentence. "We're leaning on you, Lord, to bring us justice and to bring us peace."
About the writer:
The Bee's Mareva Brown can be reached at (916) 321-1088 or [email protected].
It was supposed to be a surprise for 13-year-old Michael Ramirez. Next week, he was to be honored at Harriet G. Eddy Middle School in Elk Grove as one of its top three science students.
By Wednesday, the prospect of any award was gone. Instead, there were tears as hundreds of seventh-and eighth-graders arriving at school learned that Ramirez was dead.
He had been struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver shortly after he stepped off a school bus Tuesday afternoon and crossed the road to retrieve a scooter he had hidden in high weeds.
Off-duty Sacramento Police Officer Jason March, 29, was arrested about three miles from the accident scene on suspicion of felony driving under the influence, felony hit and run and vehicular manslaughter, authorities said.
The Elk Grove resident, who authorities said had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit of 0.08, was booked at 9:35 p.m. in the Sacramento County jail. For his own protection, he was placed apart from other inmates, said R.L. Davis, Sheriff's Department spokesman.
March was released quickly - 61 minutes later - after posting a bond on a $55,000 bail. He faces arraignment at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in Sacramento Superior Court.
Ramirez's family members could not be reached for comment. But Sacramento Police Chief Albert Nájera said he planned to meet with the family Wednesday evening.
"I think it's important that I see them face to face, express our condolences, our apology, and to see what we can do for them in this point in time," he said. "That's the least that we can do."
At Harriet Eddy, just off Bruceville Road, classmates put flowers on Ramirez's empty desk and spent time remembering his engaging manner.
"The kids are very emotional," said Lynda Bettencourt, Ramirez's physical education instructor. "They are coming to terms with their own feelings of loss."
Friends said Ramirez, a seventh-grader, loved to make people laugh, crack jokes and play sports. He was known for helping others, a shy boy who opened up once he got to know someone. He had a nonstop smile.
"Out of the six years I have known him, I have never seen a frown on his face," 13-year-old Amanda Cosenza said after school was dismissed Wednesday afternoon. "He was always laughing. I think a lot of us were just blindsided by this, and it shows how short life is and you should never drink and drive."
Most members of the eighth-grade class followed through on long-scheduled plans for a daylong celebration at SunSplash water park in Roseville in honor of their upcoming graduation. Counselors went along.
Others were at the school helping students. Those in several of the classes Ramirez attended emptied as students sought to share their grief with counselors.
He was a good student, getting A's as he studied pre-algebra, social science, science and language arts, several teachers said.
"He was a student who really had the potential to be a great person," said Rhonda Franke, Ramirez's language arts teacher.
Wednesday morning, Ramirez's sobbing science teacher was consoled by school Principal Peter Lambert as she walked into the campus.
She had planned to honor him next week as her choice for best student, Bettencourt said.
"His teacher (Diane Tussey) had filled out the award last night, probably for his having the highest grades and for citizenship," Bettencourt said.
Tussey, who could not be reached for comment, cried with students in the afternoon science class, students said.
"She was hugging everybody, telling them we were going to get through this together," said Bakri Fustok, 13. "We started making a bunch of flowers for his desk."
Ramirez was declared dead only minutes after getting off his school bus on Bilby Road near Stathos Drive in south Elk Grove, coroner's officials said.
He was struck by a white Ford Expedition, a large sport-utility vehicle, and thrown across the street, said Jasper Begay, California Highway Patrol spokesman. Begay said the driver slowed, then sped off at about 85 mph. Children screamed, and a witness followed in a pickup truck, calling police.
Chief Nájera said Wednesday that officials reviewing March's records found nothing that would have forewarned of Tuesday's crash.
"All of his records show nothing but a normal officer, even a good officer in terms of performance," he said.
Nájera said he received an outpouring of e-mail from the public Wednesday, many condemning the officer and others supporting the Police Department.
"The majority of folks are saying it's a huge tragedy for everyone involved, which is probably quite accurate. It doesn't get much worse than this," he said.
Nájera said March has been stripped of his badge and gun and placed on administrative leave. He faces likely firing in coming weeks, pending an internal investigation and a civil service process of review and appeals, said Sacramento police spokesman Justin Risley.
Sacramento Police Officers Association President Dave Topaz said March, a baseball standout at Elk Grove High School, had a good reputation on the force.
"All the supervisors who I've talked to say nothing but good things about him," he said. "He's a straight shooter, he worked hard and unfortunately he made a huge mistake."
But he said the union would not fight March's dismissal.
"I understand why (Nájera) is doing that. I understand too: One person's idiotic act can make all of our hard work disappear."
The association has started a memorial fund for Michael Ramirez and sent condolences to the family.
By Loretta Kalb and Christina Jewett -- Bee Staff Writers
Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, June 2, 2005
********************************
Teen's killer in DUI gets 5 years
Parents outraged; judge says term fits the crimes.
By Janet Vitt -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Friday, August 4, 2006
Story appeared in Metro section, Page B1
Get weekday updates of Sacramento Bee headlines and breaking news. Sign up here.
Print | E-Mail | Comments (2)
As the parents of 13-year-old Michael Ramirez decried his killer's prison sentence as too short, former Sacramento Police Officer Jason March was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday for the drunken-driving, hit-and-run death of an Elk Grove boy last year.
"Mr. March, I've been on the bench for over 25 years, and it always amazes me that people don't understand the concept of 'Don't Drink and Drive,' " said Superior Court Judge Gary E. Ransom before handing down the sentence. "It is my fervent hope that your going to prison will keep at least one person in Sacramento from drinking and driving."
March, 30, pleaded no contest last month to charges of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence and hit-and-run in the May 31, 2005, death of Ramirez, a Harriet Eddy Middle School seventh-grader who had just stepped off a school bus.
Ransom said the sentence reflected the maximum he could impose under the crimes charged, and District Attorney spokeswoman Lana Wyant said the charges fit March's crime. A charge of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, which carries a longer sentence, would have required March to commit a more flagrant violation -- driving on the wrong side of the road, at excessive speeds or otherwise erratically, she said.
"It can't just be that he was driving drunk," she said. "And there wasn't any other (negligent) conduct in his driving."
March stood with his hands crossed and his eyes downcast for most of the half-hour hearing that featured a slide show of the boy's athletic accomplishments and life milestones. Occasionally he appeared to blink back tears.
After the hearing, March was handcuffed and taken to the Deuel Vocational Center in Tracy for evaluation and placement at a state prison.
"I'm mortified," said Danielle Ramirez, who said March has remained unremorseful for the death of her son.
"Until the last moment, I was holding out hope that he would say something (remorseful), but nothing. That's what kind of person he is."
March was arrested after a passerby saw his SUV run over the teen seconds after he stepped off a school bus and started to cross the road to retrieve a scooter he had stowed in the brambles that morning.
At the time of the accident, the off-duty officer's blood-alcohol level was about twice the legal limit because he had been drinking steadily all day as he played golf with his buddies at Bartley Cavanaugh Golf Course.
"I would trade places with Justin March in a second," said the boy's father, David Ramirez, struggling with his composure. "It would be much easier serving a five-year sentence than experiencing the pain that we're suffering."
More than 20 family members and friends attended the hearing and formed a circle on the courthouse steps afterward to pray for the boy and for March.
"We thank you for this portion of justice that this court has brought us," said the Rev. Zacchaeus Dunham Jr., the boy's grandfather, who pleaded with Ransom to add time to the five-year sentence. "We're leaning on you, Lord, to bring us justice and to bring us peace."
About the writer:
The Bee's Mareva Brown can be reached at (916) 321-1088 or [email protected].
It was supposed to be a surprise for 13-year-old Michael Ramirez. Next week, he was to be honored at Harriet G. Eddy Middle School in Elk Grove as one of its top three science students.
By Wednesday, the prospect of any award was gone. Instead, there were tears as hundreds of seventh-and eighth-graders arriving at school learned that Ramirez was dead.
He had been struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver shortly after he stepped off a school bus Tuesday afternoon and crossed the road to retrieve a scooter he had hidden in high weeds.
Off-duty Sacramento Police Officer Jason March, 29, was arrested about three miles from the accident scene on suspicion of felony driving under the influence, felony hit and run and vehicular manslaughter, authorities said.
The Elk Grove resident, who authorities said had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit of 0.08, was booked at 9:35 p.m. in the Sacramento County jail. For his own protection, he was placed apart from other inmates, said R.L. Davis, Sheriff's Department spokesman.
March was released quickly - 61 minutes later - after posting a bond on a $55,000 bail. He faces arraignment at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in Sacramento Superior Court.
Ramirez's family members could not be reached for comment. But Sacramento Police Chief Albert Nájera said he planned to meet with the family Wednesday evening.
"I think it's important that I see them face to face, express our condolences, our apology, and to see what we can do for them in this point in time," he said. "That's the least that we can do."
At Harriet Eddy, just off Bruceville Road, classmates put flowers on Ramirez's empty desk and spent time remembering his engaging manner.
"The kids are very emotional," said Lynda Bettencourt, Ramirez's physical education instructor. "They are coming to terms with their own feelings of loss."
Friends said Ramirez, a seventh-grader, loved to make people laugh, crack jokes and play sports. He was known for helping others, a shy boy who opened up once he got to know someone. He had a nonstop smile.
"Out of the six years I have known him, I have never seen a frown on his face," 13-year-old Amanda Cosenza said after school was dismissed Wednesday afternoon. "He was always laughing. I think a lot of us were just blindsided by this, and it shows how short life is and you should never drink and drive."
Most members of the eighth-grade class followed through on long-scheduled plans for a daylong celebration at SunSplash water park in Roseville in honor of their upcoming graduation. Counselors went along.
Others were at the school helping students. Those in several of the classes Ramirez attended emptied as students sought to share their grief with counselors.
He was a good student, getting A's as he studied pre-algebra, social science, science and language arts, several teachers said.
"He was a student who really had the potential to be a great person," said Rhonda Franke, Ramirez's language arts teacher.
Wednesday morning, Ramirez's sobbing science teacher was consoled by school Principal Peter Lambert as she walked into the campus.
She had planned to honor him next week as her choice for best student, Bettencourt said.
"His teacher (Diane Tussey) had filled out the award last night, probably for his having the highest grades and for citizenship," Bettencourt said.
Tussey, who could not be reached for comment, cried with students in the afternoon science class, students said.
"She was hugging everybody, telling them we were going to get through this together," said Bakri Fustok, 13. "We started making a bunch of flowers for his desk."
Ramirez was declared dead only minutes after getting off his school bus on Bilby Road near Stathos Drive in south Elk Grove, coroner's officials said.
He was struck by a white Ford Expedition, a large sport-utility vehicle, and thrown across the street, said Jasper Begay, California Highway Patrol spokesman. Begay said the driver slowed, then sped off at about 85 mph. Children screamed, and a witness followed in a pickup truck, calling police.
Chief Nájera said Wednesday that officials reviewing March's records found nothing that would have forewarned of Tuesday's crash.
"All of his records show nothing but a normal officer, even a good officer in terms of performance," he said.
Nájera said he received an outpouring of e-mail from the public Wednesday, many condemning the officer and others supporting the Police Department.
"The majority of folks are saying it's a huge tragedy for everyone involved, which is probably quite accurate. It doesn't get much worse than this," he said.
Nájera said March has been stripped of his badge and gun and placed on administrative leave. He faces likely firing in coming weeks, pending an internal investigation and a civil service process of review and appeals, said Sacramento police spokesman Justin Risley.
Sacramento Police Officers Association President Dave Topaz said March, a baseball standout at Elk Grove High School, had a good reputation on the force.
"All the supervisors who I've talked to say nothing but good things about him," he said. "He's a straight shooter, he worked hard and unfortunately he made a huge mistake."
But he said the union would not fight March's dismissal.
"I understand why (Nájera) is doing that. I understand too: One person's idiotic act can make all of our hard work disappear."
The association has started a memorial fund for Michael Ramirez and sent condolences to the family.
Middle school mourns hit-run victim
By Loretta Kalb and Christina Jewett -- Bee Staff Writers
Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, June 2, 2005
********************************
Teen's killer in DUI gets 5 years
Parents outraged; judge says term fits the crimes.
By Janet Vitt -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Friday, August 4, 2006
Story appeared in Metro section, Page B1
Get weekday updates of Sacramento Bee headlines and breaking news. Sign up here.
Print | E-Mail | Comments (2)
As the parents of 13-year-old Michael Ramirez decried his killer's prison sentence as too short, former Sacramento Police Officer Jason March was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday for the drunken-driving, hit-and-run death of an Elk Grove boy last year.
"Mr. March, I've been on the bench for over 25 years, and it always amazes me that people don't understand the concept of 'Don't Drink and Drive,' " said Superior Court Judge Gary E. Ransom before handing down the sentence. "It is my fervent hope that your going to prison will keep at least one person in Sacramento from drinking and driving."
March, 30, pleaded no contest last month to charges of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence and hit-and-run in the May 31, 2005, death of Ramirez, a Harriet Eddy Middle School seventh-grader who had just stepped off a school bus.
Ransom said the sentence reflected the maximum he could impose under the crimes charged, and District Attorney spokeswoman Lana Wyant said the charges fit March's crime. A charge of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, which carries a longer sentence, would have required March to commit a more flagrant violation -- driving on the wrong side of the road, at excessive speeds or otherwise erratically, she said.
"It can't just be that he was driving drunk," she said. "And there wasn't any other (negligent) conduct in his driving."
March stood with his hands crossed and his eyes downcast for most of the half-hour hearing that featured a slide show of the boy's athletic accomplishments and life milestones. Occasionally he appeared to blink back tears.
After the hearing, March was handcuffed and taken to the Deuel Vocational Center in Tracy for evaluation and placement at a state prison.
"I'm mortified," said Danielle Ramirez, who said March has remained unremorseful for the death of her son.
"Until the last moment, I was holding out hope that he would say something (remorseful), but nothing. That's what kind of person he is."
March was arrested after a passerby saw his SUV run over the teen seconds after he stepped off a school bus and started to cross the road to retrieve a scooter he had stowed in the brambles that morning.
At the time of the accident, the off-duty officer's blood-alcohol level was about twice the legal limit because he had been drinking steadily all day as he played golf with his buddies at Bartley Cavanaugh Golf Course.
"I would trade places with Justin March in a second," said the boy's father, David Ramirez, struggling with his composure. "It would be much easier serving a five-year sentence than experiencing the pain that we're suffering."
More than 20 family members and friends attended the hearing and formed a circle on the courthouse steps afterward to pray for the boy and for March.
"We thank you for this portion of justice that this court has brought us," said the Rev. Zacchaeus Dunham Jr., the boy's grandfather, who pleaded with Ransom to add time to the five-year sentence. "We're leaning on you, Lord, to bring us justice and to bring us peace."
About the writer:
The Bee's Mareva Brown can be reached at (916) 321-1088 or [email protected].
It was supposed to be a surprise for 13-year-old Michael Ramirez. Next week, he was to be honored at Harriet G. Eddy Middle School in Elk Grove as one of its top three science students.
By Wednesday, the prospect of any award was gone. Instead, there were tears as hundreds of seventh-and eighth-graders arriving at school learned that Ramirez was dead.
He had been struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver shortly after he stepped off a school bus Tuesday afternoon and crossed the road to retrieve a scooter he had hidden in high weeds.
Off-duty Sacramento Police Officer Jason March, 29, was arrested about three miles from the accident scene on suspicion of felony driving under the influence, felony hit and run and vehicular manslaughter, authorities said.
The Elk Grove resident, who authorities said had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit of 0.08, was booked at 9:35 p.m. in the Sacramento County jail. For his own protection, he was placed apart from other inmates, said R.L. Davis, Sheriff's Department spokesman.
March was released quickly - 61 minutes later - after posting a bond on a $55,000 bail. He faces arraignment at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in Sacramento Superior Court.
Ramirez's family members could not be reached for comment. But Sacramento Police Chief Albert Nájera said he planned to meet with the family Wednesday evening.
"I think it's important that I see them face to face, express our condolences, our apology, and to see what we can do for them in this point in time," he said. "That's the least that we can do."
At Harriet Eddy, just off Bruceville Road, classmates put flowers on Ramirez's empty desk and spent time remembering his engaging manner.
"The kids are very emotional," said Lynda Bettencourt, Ramirez's physical education instructor. "They are coming to terms with their own feelings of loss."
Friends said Ramirez, a seventh-grader, loved to make people laugh, crack jokes and play sports. He was known for helping others, a shy boy who opened up once he got to know someone. He had a nonstop smile.
"Out of the six years I have known him, I have never seen a frown on his face," 13-year-old Amanda Cosenza said after school was dismissed Wednesday afternoon. "He was always laughing. I think a lot of us were just blindsided by this, and it shows how short life is and you should never drink and drive."
Most members of the eighth-grade class followed through on long-scheduled plans for a daylong celebration at SunSplash water park in Roseville in honor of their upcoming graduation. Counselors went along.
Others were at the school helping students. Those in several of the classes Ramirez attended emptied as students sought to share their grief with counselors.
He was a good student, getting A's as he studied pre-algebra, social science, science and language arts, several teachers said.
"He was a student who really had the potential to be a great person," said Rhonda Franke, Ramirez's language arts teacher.
Wednesday morning, Ramirez's sobbing science teacher was consoled by school Principal Peter Lambert as she walked into the campus.
She had planned to honor him next week as her choice for best student, Bettencourt said.
"His teacher (Diane Tussey) had filled out the award last night, probably for his having the highest grades and for citizenship," Bettencourt said.
Tussey, who could not be reached for comment, cried with students in the afternoon science class, students said.
"She was hugging everybody, telling them we were going to get through this together," said Bakri Fustok, 13. "We started making a bunch of flowers for his desk."
Ramirez was declared dead only minutes after getting off his school bus on Bilby Road near Stathos Drive in south Elk Grove, coroner's officials said.
He was struck by a white Ford Expedition, a large sport-utility vehicle, and thrown across the street, said Jasper Begay, California Highway Patrol spokesman. Begay said the driver slowed, then sped off at about 85 mph. Children screamed, and a witness followed in a pickup truck, calling police.
Chief Nájera said Wednesday that officials reviewing March's records found nothing that would have forewarned of Tuesday's crash.
"All of his records show nothing but a normal officer, even a good officer in terms of performance," he said.
Nájera said he received an outpouring of e-mail from the public Wednesday, many condemning the officer and others supporting the Police Department.
"The majority of folks are saying it's a huge tragedy for everyone involved, which is probably quite accurate. It doesn't get much worse than this," he said.
Nájera said March has been stripped of his badge and gun and placed on administrative leave. He faces likely firing in coming weeks, pending an internal investigation and a civil service process of review and appeals, said Sacramento police spokesman Justin Risley.
Sacramento Police Officers Association President Dave Topaz said March, a baseball standout at Elk Grove High School, had a good reputation on the force.
"All the supervisors who I've talked to say nothing but good things about him," he said. "He's a straight shooter, he worked hard and unfortunately he made a huge mistake."
But he said the union would not fight March's dismissal.
"I understand why (Nájera) is doing that. I understand too: One person's idiotic act can make all of our hard work disappear."
The association has started a memorial fund for Michael Ramirez and sent condolences to the family.
By Loretta Kalb and Christina Jewett -- Bee Staff Writers
Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, June 2, 2005
********************************
Teen's killer in DUI gets 5 years
Parents outraged; judge says term fits the crimes.
By Janet Vitt -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Friday, August 4, 2006
Story appeared in Metro section, Page B1
Get weekday updates of Sacramento Bee headlines and breaking news. Sign up here.
Print | E-Mail | Comments (2)
As the parents of 13-year-old Michael Ramirez decried his killer's prison sentence as too short, former Sacramento Police Officer Jason March was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday for the drunken-driving, hit-and-run death of an Elk Grove boy last year.
"Mr. March, I've been on the bench for over 25 years, and it always amazes me that people don't understand the concept of 'Don't Drink and Drive,' " said Superior Court Judge Gary E. Ransom before handing down the sentence. "It is my fervent hope that your going to prison will keep at least one person in Sacramento from drinking and driving."
March, 30, pleaded no contest last month to charges of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence and hit-and-run in the May 31, 2005, death of Ramirez, a Harriet Eddy Middle School seventh-grader who had just stepped off a school bus.
Ransom said the sentence reflected the maximum he could impose under the crimes charged, and District Attorney spokeswoman Lana Wyant said the charges fit March's crime. A charge of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, which carries a longer sentence, would have required March to commit a more flagrant violation -- driving on the wrong side of the road, at excessive speeds or otherwise erratically, she said.
"It can't just be that he was driving drunk," she said. "And there wasn't any other (negligent) conduct in his driving."
March stood with his hands crossed and his eyes downcast for most of the half-hour hearing that featured a slide show of the boy's athletic accomplishments and life milestones. Occasionally he appeared to blink back tears.
After the hearing, March was handcuffed and taken to the Deuel Vocational Center in Tracy for evaluation and placement at a state prison.
"I'm mortified," said Danielle Ramirez, who said March has remained unremorseful for the death of her son.
"Until the last moment, I was holding out hope that he would say something (remorseful), but nothing. That's what kind of person he is."
March was arrested after a passerby saw his SUV run over the teen seconds after he stepped off a school bus and started to cross the road to retrieve a scooter he had stowed in the brambles that morning.
At the time of the accident, the off-duty officer's blood-alcohol level was about twice the legal limit because he had been drinking steadily all day as he played golf with his buddies at Bartley Cavanaugh Golf Course.
"I would trade places with Justin March in a second," said the boy's father, David Ramirez, struggling with his composure. "It would be much easier serving a five-year sentence than experiencing the pain that we're suffering."
More than 20 family members and friends attended the hearing and formed a circle on the courthouse steps afterward to pray for the boy and for March.
"We thank you for this portion of justice that this court has brought us," said the Rev. Zacchaeus Dunham Jr., the boy's grandfather, who pleaded with Ransom to add time to the five-year sentence. "We're leaning on you, Lord, to bring us justice and to bring us peace."
About the writer:
The Bee's Mareva Brown can be reached at (916) 321-1088 or [email protected].
It was supposed to be a surprise for 13-year-old Michael Ramirez. Next week, he was to be honored at Harriet G. Eddy Middle School in Elk Grove as one of its top three science students.
By Wednesday, the prospect of any award was gone. Instead, there were tears as hundreds of seventh-and eighth-graders arriving at school learned that Ramirez was dead.
He had been struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver shortly after he stepped off a school bus Tuesday afternoon and crossed the road to retrieve a scooter he had hidden in high weeds.
Off-duty Sacramento Police Officer Jason March, 29, was arrested about three miles from the accident scene on suspicion of felony driving under the influence, felony hit and run and vehicular manslaughter, authorities said.
The Elk Grove resident, who authorities said had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit of 0.08, was booked at 9:35 p.m. in the Sacramento County jail. For his own protection, he was placed apart from other inmates, said R.L. Davis, Sheriff's Department spokesman.
March was released quickly - 61 minutes later - after posting a bond on a $55,000 bail. He faces arraignment at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in Sacramento Superior Court.
Ramirez's family members could not be reached for comment. But Sacramento Police Chief Albert Nájera said he planned to meet with the family Wednesday evening.
"I think it's important that I see them face to face, express our condolences, our apology, and to see what we can do for them in this point in time," he said. "That's the least that we can do."
At Harriet Eddy, just off Bruceville Road, classmates put flowers on Ramirez's empty desk and spent time remembering his engaging manner.
"The kids are very emotional," said Lynda Bettencourt, Ramirez's physical education instructor. "They are coming to terms with their own feelings of loss."
Friends said Ramirez, a seventh-grader, loved to make people laugh, crack jokes and play sports. He was known for helping others, a shy boy who opened up once he got to know someone. He had a nonstop smile.
"Out of the six years I have known him, I have never seen a frown on his face," 13-year-old Amanda Cosenza said after school was dismissed Wednesday afternoon. "He was always laughing. I think a lot of us were just blindsided by this, and it shows how short life is and you should never drink and drive."
Most members of the eighth-grade class followed through on long-scheduled plans for a daylong celebration at SunSplash water park in Roseville in honor of their upcoming graduation. Counselors went along.
Others were at the school helping students. Those in several of the classes Ramirez attended emptied as students sought to share their grief with counselors.
He was a good student, getting A's as he studied pre-algebra, social science, science and language arts, several teachers said.
"He was a student who really had the potential to be a great person," said Rhonda Franke, Ramirez's language arts teacher.
Wednesday morning, Ramirez's sobbing science teacher was consoled by school Principal Peter Lambert as she walked into the campus.
She had planned to honor him next week as her choice for best student, Bettencourt said.
"His teacher (Diane Tussey) had filled out the award last night, probably for his having the highest grades and for citizenship," Bettencourt said.
Tussey, who could not be reached for comment, cried with students in the afternoon science class, students said.
"She was hugging everybody, telling them we were going to get through this together," said Bakri Fustok, 13. "We started making a bunch of flowers for his desk."
Ramirez was declared dead only minutes after getting off his school bus on Bilby Road near Stathos Drive in south Elk Grove, coroner's officials said.
He was struck by a white Ford Expedition, a large sport-utility vehicle, and thrown across the street, said Jasper Begay, California Highway Patrol spokesman. Begay said the driver slowed, then sped off at about 85 mph. Children screamed, and a witness followed in a pickup truck, calling police.
Chief Nájera said Wednesday that officials reviewing March's records found nothing that would have forewarned of Tuesday's crash.
"All of his records show nothing but a normal officer, even a good officer in terms of performance," he said.
Nájera said he received an outpouring of e-mail from the public Wednesday, many condemning the officer and others supporting the Police Department.
"The majority of folks are saying it's a huge tragedy for everyone involved, which is probably quite accurate. It doesn't get much worse than this," he said.
Nájera said March has been stripped of his badge and gun and placed on administrative leave. He faces likely firing in coming weeks, pending an internal investigation and a civil service process of review and appeals, said Sacramento police spokesman Justin Risley.
Sacramento Police Officers Association President Dave Topaz said March, a baseball standout at Elk Grove High School, had a good reputation on the force.
"All the supervisors who I've talked to say nothing but good things about him," he said. "He's a straight shooter, he worked hard and unfortunately he made a huge mistake."
But he said the union would not fight March's dismissal.
"I understand why (Nájera) is doing that. I understand too: One person's idiotic act can make all of our hard work disappear."
The association has started a memorial fund for Michael Ramirez and sent condolences to the family.
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