Speeding dad is back on probation

Kim Smith

Thursday, May 3, 2001 | 10:45 a.m.

A 44-year-old Las Vegas man convicted in connection with the death of his wife and a daughter in a car crash three years ago was placed back on probation Wednesday with a stern warning after being caught driving 100 mph with his other daughters in the car.

District Judge Donald Mosley vowed to put John Caskey in prison for 13 years if he ever sees him in court again.

"You need to stop and think what's more important -- raising your daughters from outside prison walls or speeding around out there in your car," Mosley said. "You have used up all of the leniency you're going to see in this courtroom. Period."

Caskey was placed on five years probation in December 1998 after pleading guilty to reckless driving and two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the accident that took the lives of his wife, Tonya, 37, and daughter, Heather, 10.

According to police, Caskey was driving on U.S. 95 near Lake Mead Boulevard on March 20, 1998, when he lost control of his vehicle; it crossed the median and struck a 1989 Lincoln head-on.

Caskey's two other daughters, Amanda, now 15, and Jenna, now 8, survived life-threatening injuries.

Mosley placed Caskey on probation at the urging of both sets of the children's elderly grandparents, who said they could not raise the children themselves.

On March 21, three years and one day after the accident, Caskey was clocked at 104 mph in a 70 mph zone near Jean. Amanda and Jenna Caskey were with him at the time.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Gary Booker's initial response was to ask that Caskey's probation be revoked and he be sent to prison. However, upon further reflection, Booker said he realized that until the incident Caskey had been a "model probationer."

The prosecutor also noted that the children may eventually be placed in foster care should Caskey be imprisoned. As a result, he and the probation officers involved agreed to ask Mosley to reinstate Caskey on probation with extra conditions agreed to by defense attorney Lew Wolfbrandt.

Caskey told Mosley he had taken his girls to Disneyland in the hopes of getting through the anniversary of the earlier crash. He even took extra anti-depressants so he could try to fool them into believing he was happy and OK in dealing with the anniversary.

But Caskey said he suddenly developed a feeling that they had to get home immediately.

On the way way back, Caskey said, "I had tunnel-vision, your honor."

Mosley agreed to place Caskey back on probation. Caskey is not to receive any speeding tickets, he is not to drive outside the metropolitan area on open highways and he is to submit to one-on-one counseling with regular psychiatric evaluations.

"Mr. Caskey, you've got people here on your team, and if you have a modicum of sense you'll work with them," Mosley said, referring to Wolfbrandt, the probation officers and Booker.

Outside the courtroom, Caskey's mother hugged Booker and praised him for his understanding.