Driver sentenced to 1 year in prison for crash that killed Highlands Ranch teen

A 53-year-old man who pleaded guilty in the fatal crash that killed 13-year-old Alex Mackiewicz of Highlands Ranch as the boy walked to school was sentenced to a year in prison by a state judge. Douglas County District Court. Tuesday.

Ruben Morones pleaded guilty to reckless driving resulting in death, a traffic violation, for the March 6 fatal crash and was sentenced to the maximum sentence allowed under Colorado law, Douglas County officials said Tuesday at from a press briefing.

“The system is seriously broken when the most serious consequence for reckless driving resulting in death is a $1,000 fine and a year in jail,” Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly said after the audience.

Morones ran a red light and struck Alex while he was in the crosswalk near Venneford Ranch Road and Highlands Ranch Parkway, according to police reports. He died on the spot.

Alex’s mother, Victoria Cegielski, said she wants to change state law so that such accidents are classified as manslaughter, a felony.

“There is nothing minor in human life,” Cegielski said during a press briefing after the hearing. “The sanction must be proportional to the consequences of the accident.”

Weekly described the accident as “one of the most horrific accidents I’ve ever seen” and said he would work alongside Alex’s family and state lawmakers to bring about change.

“We can do better as a state and start holding people accountable for their actions,” Weekly said.

An attorney for Morones could not immediately be reached for comment.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

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