A woman who struck and killed a teenage girl in Silver Spring was sentenced to 60 days in jail Thursday for operating a vehicle without a license.
Esperanza Vasquez, 34, was practicing driving at the parking lot of Eastern Middle School July 1 when the SUV she was driving jumped the curb and went down a small hill, killing 13-year-old Deborah Reyes Casasola.
Last week, prosecutors announced they would not file criminal charges against Vasquez, who did not have a valid Maryland driver's license or learner's permit at the time of the accident.
Casasola's father Wilbert Reyes said he was angry that Vasquez did not face a longer sentence.
"She had the right for the law to protect her ... the law protected the criminal, not the victim," Reyes told News4 last week.
"Charging decisions in cases like this in Montgomery County are made by an experienced and specially trained group of police officers and prosecutors," Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office spokesman Ramon Korinoff said in a statement. "They reviewed the facts in this case and unanimously agreed that this matter did not rise to the level of criminal negligence."
Prosecutors instead filed traffic charges against Vasquez. She was charged with negligent driving and driving without a license.
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Vasquez was fined a total of $537.50 and sentenced to the maximum possible time of 60 days in jail.
