An Ohio woman miraculously avoided prison time after she let “Jesus take the wheel” and very nearly ended the life of 50-year-old grandmother Pamela Beckham. Beckham was parked in front of the town library, helping her grandchildren out of the car, when the vehicle driven by Marilyn Perry slammed into her with such force that Beckham was thrown into Perry’s windshield breaking both the windshield and – more importantly, her neck.
Witnesses said Marilyn Perry age 62, had been driving erratically. It was suspected that she was on her cell phone, or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Not one soul guessed the real reason for Perry’s wacky driving. Perry claimed she had bowed her head in prayer, and let the Lord take the wheel in the heavily populated area, shortly before colliding with Beckham. Perry explained to a policeman that she’d been having personal problems. Well okay then. Next!
God answers prayer better than He drives. Apparently he’s a kick-ass defense attorney too. The usual sentence for Vehicular Assault is up to 18 Months in PRISON and a Mandatory license suspension of 1- 5 years! Seems reasonable to keep anyone this ‘troubled’ and distracted off of the road, at the very least…But Perry got lucky (or got a Christian judge). Participation in an intervention program will serve in lieu of prison time. For nearly killing a woman, Perry will serve three years on probation – and pay ‘up to’ $10 thousand dollars in restitution. She is free as a bird and back in the cockpit with Jesus.
Beckham’s husband expresses doubts that Perry is a Christian. He said there has been no contact from the woman who hit his wife, not even a note or an offer to pray for her speedy recovery.
God in the driver’s seat isn’t a unique defense. A few months prior to this incident, an Indiana woman made headlines when she was charged with leaving the scene of a crime and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon. Yep! You-Know-Who was driving! The woman handed the wheel to Jesus just prior to running over a motorcyclist. She blamed God for her actions. “Out of nowhere God told her that he would take it from here and she let go of the wheel and let him take it,” police said. Then she just kept driving.
I don’t think I’m being presumptuous when I say that the judge in the first case gave Perry a cushy sentence because she was a Christian. Try to imagine the same situation – with the exception that the female driver explains that her head was bowed in prayer to Muhammad.
If this is yet more evidence of Christian persecution bring it on…But stop handing the wheel of a dangerous,heavy machine over to your invisible pal…You might get an atheist judge – and a fair sentence.