Stunt rider who tried to goad cops into chase sentenced for killing woman crossing road
A 23-year-old Valley Center man was ordered on Friday to spend 2 1/2 years in prison for killing a pedestrian in a hit-and-run crash last year. He must also pay $7,500 in restitution toward the victim’s funeral costs, Sedgwick County District Judge Jeffrey Goering ruled.
The sentence falls between the prison terms that attorneys had requested. Prosecutors wanted Chase G. Faimon to receive 34 months for involuntary manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident in connection with the Feb. 20, 2023, death of 48-year-old Kristine Sheffield of Wichita. Faimon’s defense lawyers asked for 24 months.
Faimon pleaded guilty in June.
Police and prosecutors have said Faimon was doing stunts on his motorcycle, trying to goad officers into chasing him at least twice, before he hit Sheffield around 7:15 p.m. while she was crossing the street at 11th and Broadway on that day.
According to court records, police had tried to stop Faimon about two hours before the deadly crash after seeing him perform a wheelie around 13th and I-135. The officers “activated their emergency lights in an attempt to stop” Faimon but decided against chasing him after he rode onto a sidewalk under the highway, looked back and waved for them to “come on,” court records say.
The same officers were on patrol around Central and Broadway at 7:15 p.m. when Faimon followed them, performed the same wheelie stunt and sped past them. The officers recognized Faimon and “did not pursue him due to him fleeing .... earlier in the evening” and because he was in an often busy part of downtown.
When the officers reached 11th and Broadway, they found Sheffield lying unresponsive in the road, according to court records.
Sheffield died at a Wichita hospital shortly after she was hit.
Faimon — who maintains he thought he struck an animal, a pothole or garbage in the road — fled after the crash and was arrested only after authorities released photos of the motorcyclist to the public. His defense lawyer, Shelby Shelton, said at Faimon’s sentencing hearing on Friday that Faimon returned to the scene of the collision in a car, realized something was wrong and called his parents, who contacted an attorney for advice the following day. He turned himself into authorities at that attorney’s urging.
In a lengthy plea to the judge for leniency, Shelton painted Faimon as a “pretty normal kid” and a “farm kid” who had “never been in trouble” before. He called the collision a “terrible tragedy” and “an accident” but blamed it at least partly on Sheffield, saying she walked into the street after “getting high” on drugs while staying in “a bad motel” in a “bad part of town.”
In court Friday, Sheffield’s brother, Wayne Molt Jr., acknowledged his sister had struggled with substance abuse as he spoke of how her death had devastated their family, especially his aging father, a Vietnam veteran. It angered him, Molt said, when Faimon’s lawyers started blaming the crash on Sheffield’s drug use instead of Faimon’s exhibitionism and reckless driving.
Molt said he was upset further by recorded phone calls played at an earlier hearing where Faimon begged his parents to “rescue” him from jail.
Faimon acted “entitled” and “lacked remorse” in a situation that was “completely avoidable,” Molt told the judge.
“This whole ordeal has been tough,” Molt said, noting that his sister was also a mother and a grandmother.
Hearing Faimon say “guilty” to charges at the June court date where he entered his plea helped Molt begin to find peace, Molt said.
Molt’s faith has also helped him reach a place of forgiveness, he said, and hopes Faimon uses this experience to change his life.
“Today I hope we can finally close this ordeal.”
Faimon, dressed in a suit with his lawyers by his side, was visibly sobbing on Friday as Molt gave his speech — known as a victim impact statement — to the court.
When it was his turn to speak, Faimon apologized to Sheffield’s relatives and pleaded to the judge for mercy.
“I never meant to put you guys through anything like this,” he said, adding that the crash and case was also a burden on him and his family.
Asked for his sentencing recommendation, Faimon’s lawyer pushed for 24 months, saying his client had gained weight and felt suicidal after the collision, among other reasons. He urged the judge “to bring justice and mercy” without making Faimon’s life worse.
When it was his turn, Sedgwick County Assistant District Attorney Aaron Breitenbach said it’s tragic that so much focus had been on Sheffield’s struggles rather than Faimon’s poor choices and asked for a 34-month prison sentence.
Goering ultimately settled on 30 months, saying Faimon probably thought his stunt riding and goading cops “was all fun and games” while he was doing it. But he deserved credit for turning himself in and showing remorse for his actions.
The hearing was emotional throughout, with members of both Sheffield’s and Faimon’s families weeping quietly in the courtroom gallery as various people spoke to the judge. Faimon’s mother cried, handed him a pair of eyeglasses and hugged him before the proceeding started, and both of his parents embraced him after it was over.
Several members of his family sobbed audibly after the judge told Faimon he could have a few minutes to say goodbye before deputies took him into custody and escorted him to the Sedgwick County Jail. Faimon had been out of jail leading up to the conclusion of his case after posting bail.
The only outburst happened when a man sitting among Faimon’s relatives approached Sheffield’s brother after the hearing and called Sheffield a derogatory name. The man was immediately told to leave and escorted from the courtroom.
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This story was originally published August 9, 2024 at 1:48 PM.
