St. Charles County, Missouri - The Office of Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lohmar announces that on July 18, 2014, the Honorable Ted House sentenced Robert Jerome Bathe, 20, of O'Fallon, to the Missouri Department of Corrections, after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter, stealing a controlled substance and leaving the scene of a crime. Bathe was sentenced to the maximum term of 7 years for involuntary manslaughter, 4 years for stealing of a controlled substance and 4 years for leaving the scene of a crime, all to be run concurrent.
The charges arose after a co-defendant set up a deal to buy marijuana from the victim. Bathe, in a Ford F-150 pickup, arrived at the victim's home on Oak Forest Drive, in unincorporated St. Charles County, but the co-defendant refused to pay the victim for the controlled substance. As Bathe began to speed away, the victim hung on to the driver's side of the truck and was dragged for several feet. He lost his grip as the truck suddenly turned and fell before being run over resulting in his death.
"This case serves as a reminder that drug deals too often can deteriorate in to acts of violence. Sometimes, as in this case, they have deadly consequences. " said Prosecutor Tim Lohmar.
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