Matthew Tozer’s Parents Address Judge Before Sentencing in Fatal DWI

COURT HOUSE — Charles A. Nailie was sentenced Friday, Jan. 9 to nine years in state prison for killing 16-year-old Matthew Tozer in a drunk driving crash on June 9, 2008.
Tozer, 16, was killed on Route 83 in Dennis Township. Nailie, who was headed west-bound, crossed over the centerline and struck Tozer as he rode his moped along the east-bound lane.
Nailie had been drinking large amounts of vodka before crashing into Tozer’s moped. His blood-alcohol content was .355, more than four times the legal limit.
Tozer’s parents, Linda and Roger, spoke to Superior Court Judge Susan Maven before she sentenced Nailie.
Linda Tozer said that although she doesn’t hate or seek revenge on the man who ended her son’s life, she doesn’t know what Nailie was thinking on June 9 that would have caused “a blatant disregard for another driver’s life” by driving in his condition.
“I now know the unimaginable sorrow of losing my youngest son to a senseless accident that could have been prevented if you had just chose not to drink and drive,” she said.
Not only did Nailie stop a young man’s future that night, she said, but impacted all that were “touched by his compassion, loyalty and help.”
Mrs. Tozer asked Nailie to use his prison term for reflection on the decision he made and to ask God for forgiveness.
She asked Judge Maven to give Nailie that maximum sentence and be notified when all his parole hearings were scheduled.
Contact Suit at: (609) 886-8600 ext. 25 or lsuit@cmcherald.com