LYNDHURST, Ohio -- Chapin Thomas Berk appeared in Lyndhurst Municipal Court today (Aug. 6).
On July 14, Gates Mills Police charged Berk, 18, of Aurora, in the May 14 crash on County Line Road that killed two Hawken School seniors. He was arraigned July 23.
Today Berk pleaded no contest to vehicular homicide and failure to use reasonable control. The two students who died were Alexander Doody, of Chagrin Falls, and Joshua Weil, of Cleveland Heights.
Lyndhurst Municipal Court Judge Mary Kaye Bozza sentenced him to $1000 in fines plus court costs for each of the two victims, 180 days in jail for each victim -- which were all suspended -- 5 years of probation for each victim and he must donate $1000 to each victim's family and the family can do whatever they want with the money.
When his therapist says its okay, he must speak at Hawken Upper School about the dangers of speeding. Bozza also suspended his driver's license for five years.
Berk will leave to go to college on Aug 30 and must keep good grades.
In court, Berk was very emotional and said the victims were like his brothers. The victims' families told Bozza they didn't want him to go to jail.
Berk was the driver of the 2014 black Jeep Grand Cherokee that went off the road and struck two trees. He was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of operating a vehicle without reasonable control, according to Lyndhurst Municipal Court records.
He originally pleaded not guilty to all three charges.
The case was assigned to Bozza and Berk was represented by attorney Robert T. Glickman.
It happened at 1:37 p.m. May 14 on County Line Road near Gray Eagle Chase.
Four 18 year olds, all seniors at Hawken School, were traveling in a black Jeep Cherokee when it went off the road. Three passengers were taken to Hillcrest Hospital, where one was pronounced dead immediately. A second passenger was pronounced dead later in the evening, and the third, Maxwell Perlick, of Moreland Hills, received only some injuries.
Doody was an MVP on the basketball team and friends say he could have made an excellent college player. Weil had been captain of the football team. They were in the final weeks of their senior year and well-admired.
Berk was not injured.
The students were on their way back to school to work on a project, according to police. Following an investigation, police also said that Berk was going 20 mph over the 35 mph speed limit at the time of the crash.
Berk told police he swerved after seeing something in the roadway.
