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February 05, 2002
Judge Anderson to Mehlhaff: "You were involved in more than just an accident".

Mehlhaff gets 12 years in state penitentiary, five of those years suspended; Families, lawyers, Mehlhaff all speak out.

by Jeremy Waltner

Last week in Olivet, Jason Mehlhaff, a 20-year-old from Freeman, was sentenced to 12 years in the State Penitentiary - five of those years were suspended - in connection with the accident that claimed the life of Nicole Sikkink. And it brought a formal end to a long, painful story that has gripped the entire community.

It was the early morning hours of June 3 when Sikkink, an 18-year-old from Freeman, died after the car she was riding in, driven by Mehlhaff, missed a sharp corner on the southeast side of Silver Lake and plunged into the water.

Mehlhaff was able to escape from the car, but Sikkink remained trapped. An autopsy revealed she died from drowning.

After telling his friends of the accident, Mehlhaff left the scene and went to his mother's home in Freeman where he was arrested later that morning.

Making the tragedy even more troublesome to many was the fact that the two were leaving a party on the east side of the lake; beer cans and evidence of a fire the following day served as an indication of what had gone on in the hours prior to the accident.

In a jury trial Dec. 10, Mehlhaff was convicted of vehicular homicide, a Class 3 felony, as well as underage consumption and being under 21 and driving with a blood/alcohol level of at least .02, both Class 2 misdemeanors.

Last Tuesday, Jan. 29, Hutchinson County Judge Lee Anderson sentenced Mehlhaff to 12 years in the South Dakota State Penitentiary.  He suspended five of those years.

Mehlhaff will be eligible for parole after serving 25.2 months - 30 percent of his sentence.

In addition to the jail time, Mehlhaff was ordered to pay $5,689.85 in restitution for attorney fees and $6,000 in restitution for the Sikkink family for funeral expenses.

Anderson also sentenced Mehlhaff to 30 days in jail, a $200 fine and $36 in court costs for both the charge of underage consumption and being under 21 years old and driving with a blood alcohol level of more than .02.

In addition:

¥ After his release, Mehlhaff must send a check to the Sikkink family for $10 once a week for five years in remembrance of Nicole;

¥ He must pay all fines, restitution and court costs to the best of his ability following his release;

¥ He must present a DARE speech twice per year to high schools in Hutchinson County as ordered by the Sheriff;

¥ Mehlhaff's driving privileges will be suspended for five years following his release;

¥ Mehlhaff must waive all rights to search and seizure and submit to a blood test as ordered;

¥ Mehlhaff must not possess or consume alcohol or drugs;

These guidelines must be followed until Mehlhaff's full 12-year sentence is complete.  Failure to do so will result in a parole violation and Mehlhaff would serve the rest of the 12-year sentence.

Judge Anderson was the first to admit the sentence was harsh. But, he said, it is just.

"I have known some people who did not receive a severe enough sentence," Anderson told Mehlhaff.  And they ended up right back in jail.

"You're going to serve my sentence, find some peace and then do good with your life," he continued.  "That's your only choice."

"Good luck to you."


For a detailed account of last week's trial, see the print edition.

Permission to use this article;
As long as the paper and writer receive proper credit, you can use the articles.
Beth Peters
Yankton Press and Dakotan