FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A 25-year-old woman has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for a 2021 hit-and-run that resulted in the death of a 10-year-old girl, according to official reports. Arianna Colon, found guilty in January of leaving the scene of a deadly crash and vehicular homicide, received her sentence on Tuesday at a St. Lucie County courtroom, as CBS12 reported.
On a tragic day in September, Yaceny Berenice Rodriguez-Gonzalez was crossing the street to get on her school bus, which had stopped with its red lights flashing and stop sign out. A white sedan driven by Colon ignored the bus, struck the girl, and fled the scene, according to authorities. When officers arrived, Rodriguez-Gonzalez was found unconscious in a grassy area. Despite being taken to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center, she later died from her injuries.
In her defense, Colon had testified during her trial, tearfully stating that she thought she hit a pothole, not a child. Her attorney advocated that the crash was an accident, and Tuesday's sentence was justified considering Colon had no prior criminal history. "I thought it was a fair sentence," Jerome Stone, Colon’s defense attorney, told WPTV. "It was the bottom of the guidelines."
Prosecutors and Yaceny's family felt otherwise, believing justice had not been fully served. Marilu Gonzalez, the victim's mother, conveyed through tears and an interpreter that the 12-year sentence fell short of true justice, "I miss my daughter as if it happened yesterday," Gonzalez said, her pain palpable. Assistant District Attorney Justin Miller also expressed his dissatisfaction, stating, "I'm disappointed. Like I said from the inception of this case, I felt that nothing less than the maximum was appropriate given the facts and circumstances of what occurred," he told WPTV. Both sides noted that good behavior could potentially reduce Colon's sentence.
Beyond her prison term, Colon's punishment includes a three-year suspension of her driver's license and five years of supervised release post-incarceration. Her family described the ordeal as difficult, emphasizing Colon's role as a responsible mother and student, in statements made in court.
