NEWPORT — The parents of a 10-year-old boy killed last year when he was struck by a car near his home in Fort Thomas heard no apology Wednesday from the man who admitted he hit the boy.

        Phillip Bridges, 52, was sentenced by Judge Leonard Kopowski in Campbell Circuit Court after pleading guilty to second-degree manslaughter for killing Stephen Schroder on June 28, 2000, as the boy crossed the street near his home on Garrison Avenue. Police said Mr. Bridges, who lived two blocks away, was speeding.

Bridges

        “I think an apology would have gone a long way toward helping the family deal with this and possibly be able to forgive Mr. Bridges,” Campbell Commonwealth Attorney Jack Porter said. “It's too bad he chose not to say anything.”

        Kim Schroder, the boy's mother, said she decided to address the court and Mr. Bridges “because there are things that need to be said. If I did not take this opportunity, I would never forgive myself.”

        She said she did not consider her son's death an accident, but rather something Mr. Bridges could have avoided.

        “An accident is something that happens when certain circumstances are out of one's control. The events that occurred moments before Stephen's death were in the control of that man,” she said, looking at Mr. Bridges. “He chose to drive his car in a reckless and deadly manner.”

        She pointed out that Mr. Bridges was not intoxicated at the time.

        “Intentional recklessness and speeding by someone in a sober and normal state of mind should be considered to be even more aggravating than someone under the influence,” Ms. Schroder said. “He chose his behavior. He was in control.”

        Mr. Bridges, under a plea agreement, was sentenced to 60 days in the Campbell County Detention Center to be served on 20 weekends; 12 months of home incarceration/electronic monitoring when he is not serving active time; a fine of $2,500; the loss of his driver's license for five years; and completion of counseling with an emphasis on anger management. He is scheduled to start the sentence Friday.

        The maximum sentence for second-degree manslaughter is five to 10 years in prison and a fine of $5,000-$10,000.

        Larry Schroder, the boy's father, said he would have traded places with his son on June 28, 2000, “in a heartbeat, for he had only just begun to enjoy life.”

        “Over the next five years you will go through what I see as some minor inconveniences to your life,” Mr. Schroder said in a prepared statement. “The minor inconveniences you go through, because that is the best we felt the law would be able to serve you, will never be enough.

        “You, Mr. Bridges, will be able to still see, talk to, be with and enjoy your loved ones for many years to come. Be thankful, and don't forget that we will never be able to have that opportunity with Stephen again.”

        The boy's death resulted in an outcry from residents on the short street that runs between South Fort Thomas Avenue and River Road and was regularly used as a shortcut by motorists. City officials lowered the speed limit from 25 to 15 mph, installed speed humps and placed signs prohibiting through traffic at the top of the one-way street.

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