“Lynn glued our family together, she was like my second mother,” her niece, Emily Lynn Steele, said. “Her unique style of thoughtfulness, humor and tough love made me feel protected and secured.”
Willis’ sister, Kim Steele, shared how her sister cared for her family, including her ailing mother, who died just before the crash. She said her sister was smart and dedicated to her family and friends.
“It was such an injustice what happened to Lynn,” she said.
Woody Willis, Lynn Willis’ husband, told the judge that he along with many others will forever miss her.
“She was a part of my life for 39 years. She was somebody I could trust explicitly. She was my spouse, but more importantly, she was a great friend. We were looking forward to some normalcy in our life, some more adventures together and that … is something that can’t be replaced.”
Belyeu was driving an RTA bus on March 10, 2020, when he hit the 56-year-old Willis of Beavercreek Twp. at the intersection of South Wilkinson and West Third streets. Willis was crossing West Third Street and inside the crosswalk, according to police officials.
Willis was an employee at the Social Security Administration office at the Federal Courthouse.
Belyeu took full responsibility Tuesday during the sentencing and said that he sympathizes with the family and feels awful about the crash.
“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of (Woody Willis) and the magnitude and the loss. Like the birthdays, anniversaries and holidays, things that brought people closer together. That has been tough,” Belyeu said.
“My heart goes out to Mr. Willis, the family and anyone that came into contact with Mrs. Willis, co-workers, friends, just anybody that had the ability to be around a woman of such stature,” he said.
Judge Christopher Roberts said deciding upon a sentence was difficult. He said he reviewed video evidence of the crash multiple times and thought hard about it for a week.
The judge said he didn’t believe Belyeu was a hardened criminal, noting he had been employed for 35 years and had a clean criminal history aside from a speeding ticket in the 1990s, and he showed remorse. However, he also said the man was supposed to be a trained, professional driver and is held to a higher standard.
He gave Belyue 14 days to turn himself into the Montgomery County Jail.
Woody Willis asked the judge during his victim impact statement to impose the maximum sentence of 90 days in jail for Belyue. He told the Dayton Daily News after the hearing that he understood the judge’s ruling and hopes the sentence serves as a warning to RTA drivers and other motorists of their obligation to public safety.
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