HOUSTON – A former Montgomery County deputy constable will spend 30 months in prison for an accident that led to the death of a 21-year-old Montgomery County sheriff's deputy.



Catherine Breeding was a rookie with the Montgomery County sheriff's office when she died in the motorcycle crash last year. A jury sentenced James Selmser Friday for her death on charges of intoxication manslaughter. For Selmser, there was forgiveness from Breeding's father after Selmser pledged before his sentencing to warn others about drinking and driving.



"The love and forgiveness of Christ, that's what allows me to forgive him," says Catherine Breeding's father, Steve Breeding. "If he and I can work together to let people know that message the impact of two is greater than the impact of one."



Selmser was driving his Harley Davidson with Catherine Breeding as his passenger in January of last year when around 3:00 a.m., he struck a concrete median at the intersection of the I-45 feeder road and South Loop 336 in Conroe. Neither was wearing a helmet. Initially, Selmser told investigators he had had a few drinks that night at a bar in Huntsville but said he wasn't driving the motorcycle. When he learned Catherine Breeding died, they say he confessed.



"It's sad when one of our officers does something that we have to judge him for," says prosecutor Mike Holley. "This was justice today."



It was also sadness for a family that now can only hold on to fond memories.



"I'm probably more sad for Catherine, because I knew that she truly found her calling in life," says Steve Breeding. "She approached it with enthusiasm, and I'm so sorry."



Before his sentencing, Selmser pledged in court to speak to children about the dangers of drunken driving when he is released from prison.