Punishment and Accountability
A man has violated the law and he must be held accountable for his actions. If he is not remorseful and has not embraced recovery, he has the potential to repeat his past crimes...and in so doing, puts each and every one of us and our loved ones at risk. Perhaps Troy Hovey Needs to go to prison... not only to be held accountable for his actions and misdeeds, but to gain perspective on what he has done and to be given the opportunity in a more secure and supervised setting, to attempt recovery. There are no guarantees as to whether or not Hovey will ever have remorse or will ever seriously address his addiction, however, I do believe that keeping him off the streets for as long as possible could save lives.
Some may say, “But what about his wife and kids?” I would argue…what about Amit’s wife and child? What about them? What about all the people who cared about Amit? In the end, I have sympathy for his wife and children, but the reality is, the only person to blame for this entire mess, this tragedy, is Troy Hovey. If anyone wants to point fingers, they can only point them at Troy Hovey. He made the choices that killed a good man, Amit Tandon, two years ago, and he is the man who chose to willfully violate probation, reopening wounds for all victims, torturing Deepika, torturing me, torturing Amit’s family and friends. Troy Hovey has punished his own family by virtue of the choices he has made, no one else.
Troy Hovey killed Amit Tandon, resulting in an immeasurable amount of pain, suffering, and heartache for Deepika Tandon, Me, Amit’s family, friends, the community of Chico, and all those whose lives Amit touched in his different jobs, travels, and farmer’s markets. Troy Hovey did not just violate probation…he violated the victims, Amit’s family and friends, he violated Deepika, he violated me …once again…reopening wounds we thought were healing…having to relive the terrible grief all over again.
When Troy Hovey returns to life outside of jail/prison, regardless of when that may be, I believe he needs to continue to be held responsible for his choices by the court. First and foremost, driving is a privilege and in demonstrating that he is not capable of making good decisions, Troy Hovey should not get his license back, ever. People all over the world function without a license and personal vehicle; they ride a bike, take the bus, walk, or get a ride, and they get along just fine, this includes people with families and jobs. Troy Hovey is an alcoholic, forever, regardless of whether he is able to get treatment. He may eventually be able to turn to a sober life, but, as many alcoholics do, he could fail, return to drinking and bad choices, and once again put lives at risk. Taking Hovey’s license away will save lives.
I mentioned earlier that Amit, Deepika, Me, Amit’s family and friends…we have all received life sentences…a lifetime of punishment, heartache, and pain, all a result of the choices that Troy Hovey has made, both two years ago and now. Troy Hovey should be required to perform a lifetime of service to atone for his crimes. He should have to perform community service for as long as his body and mind will allow. I honestly do not believe that is unreasonable considering the lifetime of loss and heartache that all of his victims must suffer. I will suffer this pain for the rest of my life, it will shape my choices and my relationships, this tragedy is not something that is forgotten, it is a scar on my brain and in my heart.
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