Dec 16, 2024 By Jon Andreassi 3 min read

When a Fayette County judge sentenced Mark Lucic to prison earlier this month for killing a teenage girl while driving drunk, his sentence did not sit well with the victim’s father.

While Lucic’s total sentence was six to 20 years, the sentence for the homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence was three to 10 years. Robert Veitch, whose daughter Bailey Lentz was killed, called the 10-year maximum for homicide by vehicle while DUI “completely absurd.”

“Somebody in 2024 can basically murder somebody and it be treated as an accident. When, in this day and age, when you drink and you get into a vehicle, that’s a choice,” Veitch said on the phone Thursday from Harrisburg.

Lentz, 16, was walking home from getting ice cream in Connellsville on Feb. 5, 2023 when Lucic, who was on a work trip at Seven Springs, hit her along East Crawford Avenue. His blood alcohol was .259%, more than three times the legal limit.

Last week, Veitch was in Pennsylvania’s capital to meet with lawmakers who are part of the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing about reforming the sentencing guidelines related to the vehicular homicide charge. He acknowledged there is not much legislators can do in the short term, but came away feeling he had their support.

“We exchanged information, and we’re going to have more conversations about it. We’re working with local legislators in the Pittsburgh area. I’m interested in seeing where this goes. I won’t stop until something changes,” Veitch said.

Veitch also started a petition on change.org in an attempt to raise awareness to the issue. So far it has garnered more than 4,300 signatures.

At Lucic’s sentencing on Dec. 6, Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele criticized Lucic for taking “the easy way out” and claiming he could not remember the crash.

On Friday, Aubele praised Veitch for his efforts to reform the law.

“He is absolutely on the right track,” Aubele said. “I think the problem with these types of cases is the legislature and the statute really paints a broad brush over any type of unintentional accident involving alcohol or drugs.”

Aubele added that Lucic’s fleeing the scene and not helping Lentz should be cause for a harsher sentence.

“I don’t think that really addresses the callousness of hitting somebody and leaving them there to die,” Aubele said.

Since his daughter was killed, Veitch has also met others who can relate to what their family has gone through. Seeing a similar story play out with other families was also encouragement for Veitch to seek some sort of reform.

“I’ve watched these guys get slapped on the wrist. A couple years here, a couple years there. They’re done, they’re going home to their family. We spend our entire life not having that anymore,” Veitch said.

As for what the punishment should be, Veitch says he’ll leave that for the lawmakers to decide. He just knows he is uncomfortable with the knowledge that the man responsible for his daughter’s death could have received an even lighter sentence.

“I don’t want there to be a chance of somebody else getting the three to 10,” Veitch said.