OK Co. Sheriff: Man Who Ran Over A Family Should’ve Been In Prison

Co-workers and friends feel heartbroken for the Atkinson family.

Ron and Teresa Atkinson were riding on one motorcycle, and their daughter Lauren Atkinson was riding on a separate motorcycle. The family was heading to El Reno for the burger fest on Mother’s Day weekend when police say 42-year-old Mario Cherry crashed into them.

Ron and Teresa suffered serious injuries. Lauren died on the scene.

5/10/16 Related Story: Victims Identified In Deadly Motorcycle Crash In NE OKC

Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel said Ron and Teresa’s motorcycle was thrown a block away while Lauren’s got underneath Cherry’s car. “There are actually tire prints from Cherry’s car on the gas tank of Lauren’s motorcycle,” said Whetsel.

He said Cherry should never have been out of prison in the first place. Whetsel confirmed between 2000 and 2007, Cherry was sentenced to a total of 70 years in prison, yet he was released in 2015. Plus, in the past 25 years, Cherry has been arrested 24 times with multiple felony counts.

Whetsel said, “The young daughter was snuffed out by a man who shouldn’t have been on the street, and shouldn’t have been behind the wheel of a car and I am offended that it happened.”

Ron is a technician at Orion Security Solutions. His co-workers told News 9 he had three broken ribs, a broken wrist and nose, and suffered major road rash. His wife Teresa is in even worse condition, suffering a broken pelvis, hip, major head cuts and road rash.

On top of their physical injuries, they’re now dealing with emotional pain by the sudden death of their daughter.

Ron’s co-workers at Orion have created a GoFundMe page for the Atkinson family. They’re hoping to relieve them from some of the financial burden and asking the community to support them.

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