Anderson gets 10 years, suspended after five

MILFORD -- A former Milford cop who slammed his police cruiser into another car at 94 mph, killing two teens, was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison, suspended after five.

Jason Anderson, 37, was also sentenced to three years probation in the June 2009 crash on Boston Post Road in Orange.

"You made a grave mistake and error," Superior Court Judge Denise Markle told Anderson, "and one that is reflective of a total disrespect of our laws."

Anderson is staring at five years in state prison, minus time off for good behavior. Markle also ordered him to perform 300 hours of community service, suggesting he share his experiences with police officers in training at the State Police Academy.

But the judge wasn't finished.

David Servin and Ashlie M. Krakowski. The estate of Ashlie M. Krakowski, the teenaged victim in a crash with a Milford police cruiser has settled its lawsuit against the city for $4 million, court documents show. Probate Judge Beverly Streit-Kefalas approved the settlement on Nov. 26, 2012. Krakowski and David Servin, both 19 and of Orange, were killed early on June 13, 2009 when the car Servin was driving collided with a Milford police cruiser driven at more than 90 miles per hour by Officer Jason Anderson. less David Servin and Ashlie M. Krakowski. The estate of Ashlie M. Krakowski, the teenaged victim in a crash with a Milford police cruiser has settled its lawsuit against the city for $4 million, court documents ... more Photo: Contributed Photo Photo: Contributed Photo Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Anderson gets 10 years, suspended after five 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

Markle also ordered Anderson to pay $6,000 to the Gateway Community College scholarship find. The two victims, David Servin and Ashlie Krakowski, went to school there. The couple had been dating for about two months.

Wednesday's sentencing was fraught with emotion, as family and friends of both the 19-year-old victims and Anderson made pleas to Markle.

"Ashlie was my only grandchild and she was my life," Lois Krakowski said. "There are no holidays at my house now."

The grandmother, who raised the female victim since childhood, said that Anderson was a "thug" with his "shaved head."

But a number of people also spoke in favor of Anderson, noting that he was never in trouble before, and that he was always eager to volunteer his time to help others.

Anderson helped keep the peace in lower Manhattan after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, for example, and was a volunteer T-ball coach. He received six commendations from the Milford Police Department during his career, and was a member of the force's Special Response Team.

At the time of the June 13, 2009, accident, Anderson was returning from a mutual aid call in West Haven where dozens of officers from Orange, New Haven and elsewhere responded to put down a melee at a nightclub.

Anderson was speeding westbound on Boston Post Road when his cruiser struck Krakowski's Mazda turning in front him. Servin, the driver, was supposed to stop at a blinking red light, but he didn't, according to court testimony. Both victims died instantly and Milford's police commission later fired Anderson.

Hugh Keefe, who represented Anderson, said his client's life has been "shattered" by the ordeal and that he is financially ruined. Anderson made no comment to the court, either before sentencing or after it.

Anderson's sentence was even stiffer than the one requested by the prosecutor, State's Attorney Kevin D. Lawlor, who asked Markle for 10 years, suspended after four, not five.

Keefe, meanwhile, urged Markle to set his client free, noting that the jury found Servin to be responsible in part for the tragedy.

While Servin's blood-alcohol content of 0.14 was admitted as evidence, his girlfriend's BAC was kept from the jury. Krakowski also had a BAC of 0.14, according to the state medical examiner. Nor did the jury hear that the victims weren't wearing safety belts.

Markle tossed out the jury's first verdict Nov. 6 because it was "legally inconsistent." This was because the jury thought that Servin shared some culpability for the tragedy because he was drunk and committed a right-of-way violation. Criminal trials like this one, however, don't allow the sharing of blame.

The trial was unusual, even strange at times.

Keefe made numerous requests to Markle, but most were rejected. These included a motion for a change of venue and numerous motions to have evidence, suppressed by the prosecutor, shown to the jury. These turned-down requests will likely be a big part of Anderson's appeal.

Keefe had earlier argued that Servin had a checkered past, was in a drug rehabilitation program and had been investigated in connection with a Milford burglary. All of this was kept from the jury.

A few days later, Keefe filed a 10-page motion in which he claimed that the jury suffered "massive confusion," and that the judge made an error when she refused to let the jury hear that Servin had three bags of marijuana in his pocket.

The fatal accident was captured on the dashboard camera of Milford Police Officer Richard J. Pisani Jr., who was following Anderson that night.

Anderson had been free on $250,000 non-surety bond, which meant that he didn't have to put up any money.

The appeal bond is a $50,000 surety bond, meaning Anderson's team had to put up a $5,000 security. Details of the appeal were not immediately known.

jburgeson@ctpost.com; 203-330-6403; http://twitter.com/johnburgeson