After mock trial, officials tell Rapides High students to 'make smart decisions'

LECOMPTE — One mistake as a teen can carry consequences that last far into adulthood. That was the message Rapides High School students heard Friday during a mock trial of one of their classmates, the conclusion to an earlier mock crash that had killed one student and left another severely injured.

Part of the Sudden Impact program, the mock trial used real judges, attorneys, Louisiana State Police troopers and Rapides students. Giggles broke out a few times, but some of the participants told the students what they had witnessed was not unfamiliar to them.

"This happens every day to y'all," Louisiana State Police Master Trooper Casey Wallace said after the trial's conclusion. "You are one decision away from, one, a different life, and do bad things happen to good people? They do."

The case that played out on the school's auditorium centered around Lyndon Marler, a 16-year-old who eventually was found guilty on four charges, including vehicular homicide, texting while driving, negligent injuring and running a red light.

The scenario had Marler as a teen who was supposed to be the designated driver, but ended up drinking beer and taking prescription medication before getting behind the wheel. He was texting his mother when he ran a red light and hit another car head-on.

Wallace said learning from such programs is what they are there for because "we don't want you to end up in a tragedy like this."

He told them most of the crashes they work with teens and young adults were avoidable. He asked the students to look out for their friends and hold them accountable.

"Can you save each other?

"One mistake will lead you down a road you do not want to go," he said.

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9th Judicial District Court Judge David Michael Williams, who presided over the mock trial, later told the students that what they had witnessed isn't far from what he and others see every day in downtown Alexandria courtrooms.

"We see the damage, and we see the lives that are changed as a result of not only impaired driving, but just not paying attention on the road and making horrible decisions that can effect the rest of your lives," said Williams.

He said the trial wasn't a skit for them, but reality. He said he could name several kids whose lives changed so quickly because of one bad decision.

"But this is real life for us, and I can't tell you the value of making good decisions."

Williams pointed to the seat belt use statistics that Alexandria City Court Judge Richard Starling mentioned as he played the defense attorney in the trial. Starling said he wanted to be sure to get those statistics out to the students because "it doesn't seem a big deal but it is a big deal, and it saves lives so please use your seat belts."

Attorney Stephen Spurgeon acted as the prosecutor in the case. He also told the students to hold their friends accountable because they would be the ones who see those bad decisions being made.

Tell your friends to let someone else drive or to use their seat belts "to save a life, to save your life and just be smart. Make smart decisions."

This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: After mock trial, officials tell Rapides High students to 'make smart decisions'