A St. Paul motorcyclist pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two counts of criminal vehicular operation in a hit-and-run last month that critically injured a 4-year-old boy.
Tyrell Baymon, who was with his mother, was on his way to Como Park on May 19 to celebrate his birthday, when Ernest T. Jonas struck him while popping a wheelie and speeding.
Jonas, 25, had no driver's license but six recent driving-related offenses at the time.
According to state sentencing guidelines, Jonas faces a potential jail sentence but no prison time when he is sentenced on Aug. 6 in Ramsey County District Court.
Dennis Scroggins, the boy's uncle, said family members were pleased that Jonas took responsibility for his actions so early -- in this case, his second court appearance. But Scroggins and County Attorney John Choi acknowledged that the eventual sentence may frustrate some.
"My job is to educate my family about the machine that is the [courts] system," Scroggins said. He said he had already figured that Jonas would likely not get prison time.
Although a pre-sentence report still must be completed, the guidelines indicate that someone with Jonas' lack of criminal history would receive a stayed prison sentence of 18 months and up to a year in jail -- with credit for time served before sentencing.
Choi said that the guidelines "can lead to frustrating outcomes, but at the end of the day, [they] are there to make sure that people are treated the same."
