Man charged in crash that killed motorcyclist in 2020 enters no contest plea

RACINE -- The Racine man charged in a crash that killed Steven Holub in May 2020 accepted a plea deal Monday. Jayjuan Smith, 25, was charged with homicide by vehicle -- use of a controlled substance. Smith entered a no contest plea to the charge and was taken into custody Monday afternoon.

Prosecutors allege Smith was under the influence of THC when the vehicle he was driving struck and killed Holub, who was riding a motorcycle. The deal presented by the prosecution proposed a 12-year sentence, with seven years of confinement and five years of extended supervision. The defense agreed to the deal.

Case background

At 9:14 p.m.

May 27, 2020, officers from the Racine Police Department responded to a crash at the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and 10th Street.

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An RPD officer was driving westbound on Washington Avenue behind a Chevy Sonic, according to the criminal complaint, when the Sonic tried to make a left turn onto 10th Street but allegedly failed to yield and hit an oncoming motorcycle. The motorcycle rider, Holub, was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries. The driver of the Sonic was later identified as Smith, who allegedly left the scene and was found in a residence in the 1000 block of 10th Street.

Smith told officers he was driving the Sonic involved in the crash, according to the complaint, and allegedly said he did not see the motorcycle when he tried to turn. Smith also allegedly denied drinking, but told officers that he had smoked marijuana around 3 p.m. A blood draw was conducted and found that Smith had 6.9 ng/mL of Delta-9-THC in his blood, according to the complaint.

Smith is scheduled for a sentencing hearing Feb.

19. Former President Donald Trump is barred from appearing on Colorado's presidential primary ballot due to his part in the Jan.

6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the state's Supreme Court decided Tuesday.In a 4-3 ruling, the historic judgment cited the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause, marking the first time the provision has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate."We do not reach these conclusions lightly," the majority justices wrote. "We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us.

We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach."The Trump campaign was on the obvious side of opposition, calling the decision "completely flawed" and sharing they would "swiftly file" an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.But while the Democratic-appointed Colorado Supreme Court was nearly split, Republican lawmakers were largely on the same side and even used many of the same words to describe the judgment saying, for example, that it constituted "election interference" or that it was "unprecedented."Though there weren't many Democratic lawmakers sharing their opinions on the decision, here were the notable Republican reactions to the news Tuesday. Trump's presidential competitors The former president's Republican colleagues joined in sharing their adverse reactions, including those who would appear on the primary ballot alongside him.In a lengthy post on X, GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy called the judgment an "un-American, unconstitutional" attack on democracy and pressed his competitors to act with him in repudiating Colorado's primary."I pledge to *withdraw* from the Colorado GOP primary unless Trump is also allowed to be on the state's ballot, and I demand that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley to do the same immediately or else they are tacitly endorsing this illegal maneuver which will have disastrous consequences for our country," Ramaswamy wrote in the post.This is what an *actual* attack on democracy looks like: in an un-American, unconstitutional, and *unprecedented* decision, a cabal of Democrat judges are barring Trump from the ballot in Colorado.

Having tried every trick in the book to eliminate President Trump from running in-- Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 19, 2023 DeSantis seemed to allude to the Colorado Court's decision without actually mentioning many specifics when quoting a post on X that mentioned a "politically motivated ruling." The Florida governor wrote, "The Left invokes 'democracy' to justify its use of power, even if it means abusing judicial power to remove a candidate from the ballot based on spurious legal grounds. SCOTUS should reverse."While campaigning in Iowa Tuesday night, Haley told reporters she plans to beat Trump "fair and square" in the election and said, "We dont need to have judges making these decisions. We need voters to make these decisions."And Christie seemed to agree, telling a Town Hall in Bedford, New Hampshire, that he doesn't believe any court should be able to interfere with Trump becoming president again, though he said he couldn't comment on the opinion itself until fully reading it."I think he should be prevented from being president of the United States by the voters of this country.

I don't believe that it's good for our country if he's precluded from the ballot by a court. I think it's bad for the country if that happens," Christie said, adding Trump should have a criminal trial proving his involvement in the insurrection before this step.Donald Trump should not be prevented from being President by any court. He should be prevented from being President of the United States by the voters of this country. pic.twitter.com/77ChhLFkFz[1]-- Chris Christie (@GovChristie) December 20, 2023 SEE MORE: Who's in the race for the White House?

Meet the 2024 candidates Other top Republicans Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson called the Colorado Supreme Court's decision a "thinly veiled partisan attack" and, like Christie, said voters should be able to decide if they want to support Trump. And in a post on X, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel simply called the "irresponsible ruling" "election interference."Other Trump allies echoed similar sentiments, with House GOP Chairwoman Elise Stefanik also calling it "un-American" and Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake also claiming the ruling amounted to "election interference." Out of Florida, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said in a post on X, "The U.S. has put sanctions on other countries for doing exactly what

Photos: Volcano erupts in southwestern Iceland

The night sky is illuminated caused by the eruption of a volcano in Grindavik on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, Monday, Dec.

18, 2023. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)

People watch as the night sky is illuminated caused by the eruption of a volcano in Grindavik on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, Monday, Dec.

18, 2023. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)

The night sky is illuminated caused by the eruption of a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula of south-west Iceland seen from the capital city of Reykjavik, Monday Dec.

18, 2023. (AP Photo/Brynjar Gunnarsson)

People watch as the night sky is illuminated caused by the eruption of a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula of south-west Iceland seen from the capital city of Reykjavik, Monday Dec.

18, 2023. (AP Photo/Brynjar Gunnarsson)

Lava fountains are seen as volcanic eruption started, turning the sky orange, in Grindavik on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, Monday, Dec.

18, 2023. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)

Lava fountains are seen as volcanic eruption started, turning the sky orange, in Grindavik on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, Monday, Dec.

18, 2023. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)

The road is blocked at the entrance of the road to Grindavik with the eruption in the background, in Grindavik on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, Monday, Dec.

18, 2023. A volcanic eruption started Monday night on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, turning the sky orange and prompting the country's civil defense to be on high alert. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)

The police vehicle is parked at the entrance of the road to Grindavik with the eruption in the background, near Grindavik on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, Monday, Dec.

18, 2023. A volcanic eruption started Monday night on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, turning the sky orange and prompting the country's civil defense to be on high alert. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)

The night sky is illuminated caused by the eruption of a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula of south-west Iceland seen from the capital city of Reykjavik, Monday Dec.

18, 2023. (AP Photo/Brynjar Gunnarsson)

People watch as the night sky is illuminated caused by the eruption of a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula of south-west Iceland seen from the capital city of Reykjavik, Monday Dec.

18, 2023. (AP Photo/Brynjar Gunnarsson)

People take images as the night sky is illuminated caused by the eruption of a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula of south-west Iceland seen from the capital city of Reykjavik, Monday Dec.

18, 2023. (AP Photo/Brynjar Gunnarsson)

People watch as the night sky is illuminated caused by the eruption of a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula of south-west Iceland seen from the capital city of Reykjavik, Monday Dec.

18, 2023. (AP Photo/Brynjar Gunnarsson)

The night sky is illuminated caused by the eruption of a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula of south-west Iceland seen from the capital city of Reykjavik, Monday Dec.

18, 2023. (AP Photo/Brynjar Gunnarsson)

This image made from video provided by the Icelandic Coast Guard shows its helicopter flying near magma running on a hill near Grindavik on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula sometime around late Monday, Dec.

18, or early Tuesday, Dec.

19, 2023.

A volcanic eruption started Monday night on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, turning the sky orange and prompting the country's civil defense to be on high alert. (Icelandic coast guard via AP)

A volcanic eruption is seen, turning the sky orange, in Grindavik on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, Monday, Dec.

18, 2023. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)

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References

1. ^ pic.twitter.com/77ChhLFkFz (pic.twitter.com)