Culpeper man sentenced in fatal crash

Amanda Stewart Media General News Service
Published: April 22, 2008

MANASSAS — Not a day goes by that Anis Idrissa Kabia doesn’t think about the car accident that killed 51-year-old Thomas John Harley, he told a judge in Prince William General District Court on Monday.

“I feel bad about this,” Kabia said. “Every day of the week I think about it.”

Kabia, 26, of Culpeper was convicted of misdemeanor reckless driving for the Oct. 27 accident that killed Harley, of Warrenton.

At the time of the accident, witnesses and police said that Kabia’s minivan passed several cars on Va. 28 in Nokesville long before it went into the path of Harley’s motorcycle, hitting it head-on.

In court Monday, Kabia said he was trying to avoid an accident when he and Harley drove in the same direction. Police said that Kabia’s minivan was passing more than one vehicle at a time when it struck the motorcycle.

“If I could take it back I would,” Kabia said.

Harley died at the scene.

Kabia said the October accident was his first.

Monday, Prince William General District Court judge Wenda K. Travers sentenced Kabia to 12 months in jail, with 10 months suspended and a $250 fine.

Travers said that Kabia’s driving record, which included several prior convictions of reckless driving, speeding and driving without a license, contributed to the sentence.

“You are not a bad person, but you have a history, unfortunately, of doing bad things,” Travers said before sentencing. “You are not a responsible driver. You have a history of reckless disregard for everyone else on the road.”

As a condition of his sentence, Kabia’s license will be suspended for six months. If he has further traffic violations after his release, he will serve the full 12-month sentence in jail, Travers said.

Staff Writer Amanda Stewart can be reached at 703-878-8014.