Driver sentenced for MSU student's death

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A 26-year-old Ada, Mich., man was sentenced Tuesday to one year in jail for his role in the death of MSU student Jeremy Sobczak-Obetts, who died last October in a car accident.

Andrew Tittle was sentenced to one year in jail as well as five years probation for operating while intoxicated causing death.

Tittle and Sobczak-Obetts, a 23-year-old food service management senior, were driving Oct. 17 on an Ada Township road, near Grand Rapids. Tittle’s SUV veered from the road, wrapping around a tree and killing Sobczak-Obetts, who was in the passenger’s seat.

According to court records, Tittle pleaded guilty to operating under the influence of liquor causing death, which holds a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

Tittle’s attorney, Henry Emrich, said court guidelines called for a 29 month to 57 month sentence as a minimum for the charge; however, Kent County Circuit Judge Paul Sullivan only gave Tittle one year.

Sullivan declined to comment.

Phone calls to the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office were not returned on Tuesday.

Tittle and Sobczak-Obetts were childhood friends and had known each other for 15 years, family members said in October 2009. The friends crashed shortly after 3 a.m., Eric Hutchinson, an emergency communications operator said in October 2009. Sobczak-Obetts’ sister, Stacy Obetts, said in October 2009 they were coming back from a Dane Cook show.

At the time, Stacy Obetts also said her family didn’t want Tittle “to suffer further” after the crash.

Emrich said Tittle was deeply saddened by the loss of his longtime friend.

“He said in court today if it would be him instead of Jeremy, he would make the change in a heartbeat,” Emrich said.

Sobczak-Obetts’ mother, Michelle Sobczak-Obetts, could not be reached Tuesday. Phone calls to his sister and brother also were not returned.

Tittle is scheduled to report to jail on April 6 to start serving his year sentence in the Kent County Jail, Emrich said.

The loss has been a tragedy for the two families, Emrich said. The actions of Tittle are irreversible and Tittle will never be able to forget that, Emrich said.

“He is devastated,” Emrich said.

“It doesn’t change what happened, it doesn’t bring back his friend and it doesn’t change in any way the decision he made that night.”

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