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Father fights for change after daughter killed while jogging

Man with suspended license hit, killed Haley Cremer

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Father fights for change after daughter killed while jogging
Man with suspended license hit, killed Haley Cremer
A Sharon family is fighting for a change to Massachusetts law after 20-year-old Haley Cremer was struck and killed this past June by a driver with a suspended license.Watch the report"We were all cheated. She was absolutely cheated. The world was cheated," said Marc Cremer, Haley's father, in an interview Monday with NewsCenter 5's Liam Martin.Haley was out for a jog in Sharon on Father's Day, 2014, when 44-year-old Jeffrey Bickhoff -- who had three license suspensions on his driving record -- allegedly hit her and threw her some 80 feet.He is now charged with motor vehicle homicide, as well as driving with a suspended license, and has pleaded not guilty.Haley's family, in the meantime, is working to try to keep drivers like Bickhoff off the road.Cremer worked with state Rep. Lou Kafka, D-Stoughton, to put a bill before the legislature that would require the Registry of Motor Vehicles to actively notify police departments when a driver's license is suspended.Under current law, officers only have access to that information when they enter a driver's information into the RMV database after a traffic stop."The senators and representatives were astonished that the police don't have this information today," Cremer said.The bill would only require notification if the suspension results from dangerous infractions, like drunk driving or speeding.But Cremer and Kafka believe it would save lives."In many communities, the local police know the people in the community," Kafka told NewsCenter 5."If they know that someone has had their license suspended or revoked, they can be on the lookout for them."That bill passed the House in November without opposition, but it has stalled in the state Senate amid concerns from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation that it needs more time to study the proposal. The current legislative session ends Jan. 6, so the clock is ticking."We are extremely bewildered, and I would even say mildly angry, as to why a simple, common-sense piece of legislation like this is being held up in the 11th hour," Cremer said.MassDOT, for its part, told NewsCenter 5 on Monday in a statement: "There is no question that this is a worthy undertaking. Of concern to the RMV is whether uniformed officers throughout the Commonwealth will readily have access to this information and have the tools necessary to incorporate this information into their daily duties. We wholeheartedly support the formation a study group to evaluate the proposal and develop plans that would allow our communities to meet the intent of this legislation."

A Sharon family is fighting for a change to Massachusetts law after 20-year-old Haley Cremer was struck and killed this past June by a driver with a suspended license.

Watch the report

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"We were all cheated. She was absolutely cheated. The world was cheated," said Marc Cremer, Haley's father, in an interview Monday with NewsCenter 5's Liam Martin.

Haley was out for a jog in Sharon on Father's Day, 2014, when 44-year-old Jeffrey Bickhoff -- who had three license suspensions on his driving record -- allegedly hit her and threw her some 80 feet.

He is now charged with motor vehicle homicide, as well as driving with a suspended license, and has pleaded not guilty.

Haley's family, in the meantime, is working to try to keep drivers like Bickhoff off the road.

Cremer worked with state Rep. Lou Kafka, D-Stoughton, to put a bill before the legislature that would require the Registry of Motor Vehicles to actively notify police departments when a driver's license is suspended.

Under current law, officers only have access to that information when they enter a driver's information into the RMV database after a traffic stop.

"The senators and representatives were astonished that the police don't have this information today," Cremer said.

The bill would only require notification if the suspension results from dangerous infractions, like drunk driving or speeding.

But Cremer and Kafka believe it would save lives.
"In many communities, the local police know the people in the community," Kafka told NewsCenter 5.

"If they know that someone has had their license suspended or revoked, they can be on the lookout for them."

That bill passed the House in November without opposition, but it has stalled in the state Senate amid concerns from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation that it needs more time to study the proposal. The current legislative session ends Jan. 6, so the clock is ticking.

"We are extremely bewildered, and I would even say mildly angry, as to why a simple, common-sense piece of legislation like this is being held up in the 11th hour," Cremer said.

MassDOT, for its part, told NewsCenter 5 on Monday in a statement: "There is no question that this is a worthy undertaking. Of concern to the RMV is whether uniformed officers throughout the Commonwealth will readily have access to this information and have the tools necessary to incorporate this information into their daily duties. We wholeheartedly support the formation a study group to evaluate the proposal and develop plans that would allow our communities to meet the intent of this legislation."