Monday, March 17, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
They stand bravely in front of an audience packed with convicted drunken drivers and, one by one, talk about their lives after losing a loved one to a DUI offender.
An image appears on a screen behind them of that brother, sister, mother or father. Some are photo album snapshots, others of the car their relative died in or, worse, the corpse atop an autopsy table.
These Victim Impact Panel members' stories are graphic and heart-wrenching, but also effective: A study done to measure the panel's success reflects an 8 percent recidivism rate among panel attendees. Nationwide, the average is 48 percent.
"It is making a difference," said Sandy Heverly of Stop DUI, which hosted an awards dinner Sunday night in Henderson to honor panelists and several dozen community members who have lent professional support to fight drunken driving.
"The best part about the panel is the therapeutic effect -- victims are given an opportunity to channel their anger in a constructive way," she said.
The county's panel has been a model for programs like it across the county.
Judges, prosecutors, media, law enforcement officers and others were individually recognized with plaques.
Panel speakers were awarded by Nevada's congressional delegation, Gov. Bob Miller, Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa, the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with clocks from Stop DUI -- a memento to remind them of the time they devote to the anti-DUI cause.
Speakers included Sandra Biami, Vern Leuton, Steve Tanner, Joan and Roxanne Eddows, Larry and Melissa Beckner, Jenny Hastings, NHP Sgt. Mark Clark and Nikki Wall.
Among those recognized was District Judge Jack Lehman, who sentenced Yuri Pena to 10 to 30 years in prison for killing 6-year-old Annika Wade's brother, father and her father's fiancee.
Wade testified about the pain she suffered from multiple surgeries and scarred legs from the July 17, 1995, crash. A passing motorist helped the child get out of her father's car after it was rammed, while parked alongside Interstate 15, by Pena's car and exploded into flames.
"Judge Lehman took the time to talk to the little child ... and told her how much he appreciated all she was doing to participate in the court process," Heverly said.
"He had a full calendar, but he took the time for (Wade and her mother) on a day that was so incredibly painful for both of them."
Mike O'Callaghan, former governor and current executive editor of the Las Vegas SUN, was commended for the emotional support he gave to a man who lost his leg and suffered numerous other injuries because of a drunken driver.
Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Nancy Oesterle was also among the honorees. She was the first judge in Clark County to require that offenders attend the Victim Impact Panel years before the measure became a mandatory part of sentencing in 1993.
Many in the crowd were in attendance Dec. 31, 1993, when Heverly announced that she was severing her ties with the local Mothers Against Drunk Driving chapter to start Stop DUI with co-founder Joan Eddowes.
Heverly said MADD had become "a multimillion-dollar corporation of greed" and refused to provide financial assistance to victims, purchase alcohol-breath testers for police, or use local contributions exclusively for local causes.
"Within 90 minutes of making our announcement, we had lost everything," Heverly said. "Our office, the furniture, office equipment, office supplies, our bank account. We lost everything except our integrity, our morals and our (determination) to fight."
Despite rough beginnings, Heverly said proudly Sunday that Stop DUI never once compromised its desire to provide financial assistance to victims, and has rebuilt its entire office. The last piece of necessary office equipment -- a copier -- was purchased six months ago.
Last year, Stop DUI assisted victims 46 times with contributions from $200 to $4,000 to pay for funeral arrangements, rent, auto repairs, air fare, prosthetic devices and even cabs.
They also sent 32 floral arrangements to DUI victims' funerals and services, bought an Intoxilyzer 5000 for the North Las Vegas Police Department, paid for a deputy district attorney to attend an aggressive DUI prosecuting course at Northwestern University, and purchased trees and plaques at Sunset Park in memory of victims.
"We also purchased 35,000 doughnuts for police officers manning sobriety checkpoints," Heverly said, rousing laughter in the crowd. She added that the NHP requested, and got, cream-filled croissants.
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