Man who drove car into Cold Spring home sentenced to 9 years in prison
ST. CLOUD ― A Richmond man suspected of propelling a stolen car through a Cold Spring family's home was sentenced Friday to about nine years in prison.
Benton Louis Beyer, 33, will serve a maximum of 105 months and will be eligible for supervised release in 70 months. Judge Andrew Pearson presided.
Beyer was sentenced after he was found guilty by a jury of multiple charges in September, including felony second-degree assault, theft, first-degree criminal damage to property and stalking motivated by racial bias.
The jury found the second-degree assault charges had aggravating factors because they occurred in an area where the family had an expectation of privacy and because children saw, heard or otherwise perceived the offenses.
More:Man who drove car into Cold Spring home found guilty of assault motivated by racial bias
Beyer's council advocated for him to be sentenced to probation and said if given the opportunity he would participate in trauma-informed programming. The Robinsons' council said the judge should reject the probation proposal, citing Beyer's history of violating probation. The Robinsons' council also said Beyer has had the opportunity to seek treatment and given the severity of this case should be sentenced to 105 months in prison.
Several members of the Robinson family made victim impact statements in an emotional testimony.
The family talked about how after much hardship and trauma, their Cold Spring house had become a place of safety and healing. After Beyer crashed into the home, that sense of safety was shattered, they said, and that trauma changed their lives, their sense of security and their emotional wellbeing forever.
More:Cold Spring family sues ROCORI School District, says it did not address racism, harassment
When Andrea Robinson began advocating publicly against bullying and racism her biracial children experienced in ROCORI schools, she said doing so made her family a target for people like Beyer "who sought vulnerability in our traumas."
"You did not destroy a home, you destroyed a family," Robinson said at the sentencing. "105 months is meaningless in comparison to your destruction."
When asked if he had anything to share with the court, Beyer said substance abuse and mental health issues were the core issues in this case. He asked to be placed on probation to be a father to his infant daughter and have "a new beginning."
Pearson told the Robinson family they did the right thing and they cannot blame themselves for what happened. He told Beyer the duration of his harassment of the family and significant impact of his actions "trumps everything" and said efforts to be sober and a good father "are choices you have to make from here."
More:Cold Spring family's home repaired with help from neighbor after racist attack last summer
Beyer was given credit for 489 days in jail and ordered to pay about $7,000 in restitution.
Becca Most is a cities reporter with the St. Cloud Times. Reach her at 320-241-8213 or bmost@stcloudtimes.com. Follow her on Twitter at @becca_most.
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This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Man who drove car into Minnesota home sentenced to prison time
