Bus driver gets probation, counseling in child's death

<p>A Cobb County school bus driver who hit a 5-year-old student she had just dropped off pleaded guilty Tuesday to homicide in the child's death.</p><p>Laura P. Whitlock, 55, of Kennesaw, was sentenced to probation, 40 hours of community service, mandatory stress counseling and a $400 fine after pleading to second-degree vehicular homicide.</p><p>Romil Mehta was killed Nov. 11 on his way home from Addison Elementary School.</p><p>Whitlock told police she dropped the boy off and thought he had already crossed the street when she began driving away.</p><p>Whitlock, surrounded by members of her family, wept Tuesday as the charges were read.</p><p>No one from the Mehta family testified at the hearing before State Court Judge Maria B. Golick. A spokeswoman for the Mehtas said, "they were still not prepared to deal with this in court."</p><p>Cobb Solicitor Barry Morgan said the family returned to their native India for an extended period after Romil's death, and returned to the United States in April.</p><p>Morgan said the family did not ask for a prison sentence for Whitlock.</p><p>"That was not something they wanted to see," Morgan said.</p><p>Cobb schools spokesman Jay Dillon said Whitlock resigned her school bus driver job shortly after the accident.</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x1cd9cdc)</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2005/7/143017