Drunk Driving Suspected in Seminarian Deaths

[Era Might]

[url="http://www.nbc5.com/news/4999181/detail.html"]http://www.nbc5.com/news/4999181/detail.html[/url]

[quote]Robert Spaulding, 27, who attends seminary at St. Mary of the Lake University in Mundelein, was allegedly drunk last Thursday at 1:30 a.m. when the car he was driving through the seminary campus hit a tree.

"He's now looking at a special Class 2 aggravated DUI, which is punishable by 6 to 28 years in the Department of Corrections," said Suzanne Willett of the Lake County State's Attorney's Office.

Also charged in the case was 36-year-old Mark Rowlands, NBC5's Mary Ann Ahern reported. It was his car that was allegedly racing through the seminary. In the car, authorities found police badges as well as a gun and ammunition.

The two seminarians in the back seat, 28-year-old Matthew Molnar and 23-year-old Jared Cheek, were killed in the crash.[/quote]

This whole sad affair needs prayers, to say the least.

Edited September 21, 2005 by Era Might

[homeschoolmom]

It just keeps getting worse.

[Norseman82]

You know, having been in the Chicago seminary system myself, knowing people up there over the years (including one right now), I just pray that some good can come out of this tragedy. I know that seminarians also have a tendency to "party", and that there is a motto of "work hard, play hard, and pray hard". With the upcoming inspections, which seem to be focused on celibacy/homosexuality issues, part of the formational suggestions may also be that you can "play hard" without getting hammered.

[zabbazooey]

Prayers for him.

[philothea]

[quote name='Norseman82' date='Sep 20 2005, 10:52 PM']You know, having been in the Chicago seminary system myself, knowing people up there over the years (including one right now), I just pray that some good can come out of this tragedy.  I know that seminarians also have a tendency to "party", and that there is a motto of "work hard, play hard, and pray hard". With the upcoming inspections, which seem to be focused on celibacy/homosexuality issues, part of the formational suggestions may also be that you can "play hard" without getting hammered.
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Sigh

Or at least bring along designated driver...

And wear your seat belts!

Continued prayers for all involved, but this is a big sore point for me.

[Lounge Daddy]

ohhhhh - prayers

[Theoketos]

1. I have a problem with calling it drunk driving. While they all had been drinking, I am really hesitant to call any one drunk. As I knew Matty and Jared, I can promise they were not drunk.

2. The speed at which the crashed in my opinion is not racing.

3. The whole bit about ammunition and a gun is a little unecessary.

Maybe I am to close to the situation, but the title of this thread made me physically ill.

[jmjtina]

From what I'm reading, I think it's exaggerated. (the police and the badge? he use to be a police officer, didn't he?) Another article said he swerved to avoid hitting a deer. Nothing about DUI.

I'm hesitant to believe anything from the media.

I think the title of this thread is scandalous and giving false impressions when it was just a really sad tradgedy.

We need to pray for the two seminarians who passed away, but also for the two seminarians who lived.

[argent_paladin]

We musn't close our eyes to the truth, even if it is not pretty.
[quote]Spaulding, whose blood-alcohol level was double the legal limit, could be indicted on a second count of reckless homicide after a grand jury is convened, said Suzanne Willett, chief of the traffic division for the Lake County state's attorney's office. He is scheduled to appear in bond court again Tuesday to review the terms of his bond, including lowering the amount from $50,000.
[/quote]
[quote]After the crash, which killed two of the students, Mark Rowlands, 36, of Columbus, Ohio, was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and false impersonation of a police officer after Mundelein police said they found a gun, ammunition and deputy badges from Ohio in the glove box of the car.

During the crash investigation, Ohio and local officials revealed that Rowlands was indicted in February 2000 on felony charges of bribery, perjury and failing to file a state income-tax return. The charges stemmed from an investigation into audits of the Fairfield County sheriff's office, said Suzanne Schmidt, a special prosecutor who handled the case. The audits revealed that the sheriff's office misspent about $300,000 in public money from 1994 to 1999, she said.

In exchange for dropping the felony charges, Rowlands pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of obstructing official business, Schmidt said. He was fined $400 plus court costs.
[/quote]
[quote]Meanwhile, police tried to reconstruct the crash. Officials said they aren't sure how fast the car was going when it struck the tree.

Mundelein Police Sgt. Mark Parrish said one of the badges found in Rowlands' car, which was equipped with flashing red and blue undercover police lights, was from the Scioto County sheriff's office in south-central Ohio.

There are no records of Rowlands having worked there, said Scioto County Sheriff's Capt. John Murphy.
[/quote]
[url="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/nearnorthwest/chi-0509200193sep20,1,4723208.story"]Tribune[/url]

[quote]"When he resigned, we had him turn in his law enforcement identification, and he brought in all the material regarding his captain's rank," Phalen said. "But he must have still had badges from when he was a lieutenant. My concern would be if there were other instances where he impersonated an officer that we are not aware of."

[/quote]
[url="http://www.centralohio.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/BD/20050920/NEWS01/509200305/1002&template=BD"]Eagle Gazette[/url]

[Pio Nono]

JMJ
9/21 - St. Matthew
[quote name='Theoketos' date='Sep 21 2005, 12:41 AM']1. I have a problem with calling it drunk driving. While they all had been drinking, I am really hesitant to call any one drunk. As I knew Matty and Jared, I can promise they were not drunk.
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[/quote]
We should never speak ill of the dead; however, we must remember that those four men went to the bar at around 10pm and didn't get back until the accident occurred around 1:30. I don't know about anyone else in the car, but the driver was very drunk.

[jmjtina]

[quote name='argent_paladin' date='Sep 21 2005, 04:24 AM']We musn't close our eyes to the truth, even if it is not pretty.

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I never did say close our eyes to the truth. Everything that I had been reading, didn't match. Swerved to hit a deer, no known cause, etc. All the stories were different. And knowing the media, I take everything with a grain of salt.

the bottom line: we must pray for them.

Other than that, thank you for providing more links and articles.

[franciscanheart]

The facts are the facts and there is no getting away from it. I don't think we should be too quick to jump to false conclusions but I also don't think we should make anyone out to be more cautious than they were simply because they were seminarians. In this case I am not speaking of those lives so tragically lost but of the driver, the one now held responsible for the accident.

Bottom line in our lives really is to pray. Two good men have passed away and we must pray for their souls, as well as their families.

Thank you for the other links paladin.

[cmotherofpirl]

Remember the media does print speculation as facts and is not known to love anything catholic. Lets wait and see what actually happens in court.
May the Lord have mercy on everyone concerned.

[StatingTheObvious]

Boy, this Rowlands guy seems quite the character. I've been known to get wasted and wreck a few cars, but not in my 30's and I sure wasn't going to priest school. Hmmmm. People who play with fire eventually get burned. If you hang with people who play with fire, they eventually will burn you too. It's a lot less likely to catch flame if you avoid fire. And there's an attitude of 'play hard' in a seminary?? Holy Hypocrasy, Batman!

[Theoketos]

Ok I see that there is indeed more to the story than I knew.

However my point still stands in that they do not know the whole story. The driver is in a great deal of real and just trouble and I feel a great sorrow for this man.

The whole thing makes me so angery right now. It really shows how honesty and intergrity are needed in everything we do.

I really do not like hearing about it and feeling like I need to react in a public space. While at the same time I must admit it is a good thing that there are no pink elephants in the closet.

So What I about to say is only ment in love.

I hope that when you all people are mourning the loss of loved ones, people are more gentle with such things. Though I doubt that this is even possible over the internet.

Please pray that I make take all good advice with humility.

Edited September 21, 2005 by Theoketos