A man who “door-checked” two young boys in Chester Harbor and left them bleeding by the roadside a year ago is serving a 45-year prison sentence today — but with 37 of those years suspended.
Nathan Wade Hartley Jr., then living in Centreville and aged 17 at the time, was driving a Honda Civic about two miles from Chestertown last August 29, when he and three occupants began talking about “door-checking” somebody.
According to testimony, Hartley saw an 11-year-old on a bicycle and a 15-year-old walking along Central Drive, made a sharp U-turn, and drove back at 30 miles an hour – opening the driver’s side door to strike the teenager.
“The fifteen year old victim spun around and was hit again by the rear quarter panel on the driver’s side,” according to a report from the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s office.
“The eleven year old went onto the roof of the vehicle and rolled into the grass as Hartley swerved back onto the roadway.
“In order to hit the boys, Hartley crossed the center line and drove all the way across the lane designated for oncoming traffic and into the grass where the boys were located.”
Hartley drove away from the scene and was apprehended only after a lengthy investigation determined he was the driver.
On May 17, Hartley, now 18 and being tried as an adult, pleaded guilty to one count of hit and run, two counts of second degree assault and one count of conspiracy to commit assault.
Deputy state’s attorney John Mark McDonald, who had rushed to the crime scene after the incident, recommended a sentence of 40 years, with 10 years suspended and 30 to serve.
Lance Richardson, state’s attorney for Queen Anne’s County, told the court, “This case terrorized not only the victims but a community. Chester Harbor has not been the same since this happened. A lot of parents still do not let their kids play in the front yard because of what Hartley did.”
Last Wednesday, Judge Thomas G. Ross handed down a sentence of 60 days for hit and run, 10 years but with all but 18 months suspended for each second degree assault, and 25 years but with all but five years suspended for the conspiracy to commit assault in the first degree.
That sentence means Hartley serves eight years, or less if paroled.
Meanwhile, according to a statement from Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office, the young victims “still have some lingering injuries as a result of the assault.”
Said Richardson, “We can only hope that the two victims of this terrible crime will be restored to full health and be able to put this behind them.”
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