Always a little hope - I say "FRY HIM"

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_150174...nclick_check=1

It only took Ashley Jackson's friends a couple of weeks to lead police
to the silver BMW they believe plowed into her bicycle on Highway 9 in
Saratoga last spring. Her fiance remembers seeing the big sedan stop
for a moment and then barrel away, leaving the 25-year-old college
student broken, bleeding and brain damaged.

It took a full year of relentless networking, leafleting and digging
by her friends, her attorney and the police to bring the owner of that
BMW, Robert Schiro, to court on charges of felony hit and run and
driving with a suspended license.

During that year, as Schiro's car sat impounded in a police evidence
lot and he insisted that he was not driving it the day of the
accident, the 70-year-old Saratoga man continued to live in his
hillside home and run his Santa Clara property management business.

Meanwhile, Jackson, once a competitive bike racer, has been fighting
to overcome her injuries, relearning to walk, to open and close her
left eye, to lift a bottle of shampoo.

"I'm still not me," she says.

Her fiance, David Nelson, who was riding with her the day of the
accident, says the months of waiting have been agony. "There's no
closure," he said. "You're sitting there, and the guy is out free."

The turns these three lives have taken since that warm and terrible
spring day — with Schiro due in court this week and Jackson expecting
her first child in August — show how even the darkest


Ashley and Dave met through cycling in 2007. She was riding by Peet's
Coffee in Willow Glen when Dave, a biotech engineer, yelled that she
should shift gears.

"I didn't know if he meant to shift up or down," she said. They struck
up one of those magical conversations and he invited her to go riding.
It was the start of a love affair.

On April 19 of last year, Ashley took a break from studying for exams
at West Valley College to go bike riding with Dave. They left their
Willow Glen home around 2:30 and were heading back on Highway 9 near
Fruitvale Avenue in Saratoga around 5 p.m. The road is four lanes wide
and flat, with bike lanes.

Dave, 42, was riding in front of Ashley. Suddenly he felt something
slap his left elbow and realized it was the side mirror on a passing
BMW, dangling from the car. "I start screaming at the top of my lungs.
The guy pulls over a bit, pauses and then gases it and takes off. I
turn around, and she's in the road."

Ashley was twisted up in her bike frame. She was bleeding, making a
gurgling sound and both eyes were rolling up in the back of her head.

"I thought she was going to bleed out on me right there," Dave
recalled.

'I need to find this guy'

Sheriff's deputies asked Dave for a description of the car. He didn't
catch the license plate, but he knew the make and model: a silver BMW
745 or 750Li, probably a 2006.

"You been on bikes 25 years, you become very observant."

Ashley had bleeding in the brain stem, broken ribs and collarbone. For
72 hours, her family didn't know if she would make it. As soon as she
was stabilized, Dave began contacting relatives and friends in the
biking community.

"This is a hit and run," he said. "I need to find this guy."

Their friends handed out 5,000 fliers and raised $11,000 for a reward.
They asked area BMW dealers and body shops to look out for a BMW 7-
series with a busted mirror.

Dave was confident he would find the driver.

"This is a small town," he said. "The guy is out there and someone has
seen him. Someone knows him."

Within a few weeks, their work apparently paid off. According to court
records, the sheriff got a tip that Robert Schiro had inquired about
replacing the mirror on his 2006 BMW 750Li. The caller said Schiro
wanted the work done at his home and asked that the parts be purchased
out of town because his girlfriend had hit a parked car and he didn't
want to report it.

On May 15, sheriff's deputies found a silver 750Li in Schiro's garage
with a broken mirror and scratches on the front door and fender.

Schiro, through his attorney, Guy Jinkerson, declined to comment on
the case.

Court records show that Schiro's license had been suspended after a
DUI conviction in 2008, so he wouldn't have had a legal license on the
day of the accident. Schiro denied he was involved, and there were no
witnesses to place him at the scene.

But Saratoga is a small town, and other witnesses came forward to say
Schiro had admitted he had been at the wheel. On April 8, he was
arrested. He is scheduled to enter a plea Friday.

Short-term goals

Ashley's recovery has been slow. She has had to relearn how to use the
left side of her body. Washing her hair was a monumental task. "The
weight of the wet hair became too heavy for my weak arm," she said.

She had to work at lifting a frying pan, making a bed. Her left eye
wouldn't open. She has come a long way and even rides on a tandem bike
with Dave. But she has no medical insurance and can't afford to
continue physical therapy.

Ashley used to dream about finishing college and having a career.
These days, her goals are short-term, and they change day to day.

"You check washing your hair off the list and focus on the next item;
you check off walking a block, even if it takes hours longer than it
should," she said. "Perseverance becomes your hope."

Dave is just grateful she's alive.

"I've been racing a bike for 25 years and I've been on too many
memorial rides," he says. "This time, I don't have to go to her
memorial."

Now she and Dave have something happy to look forward to: They are
expecting a baby in August.

On New Year's Eve, they went out to celebrate the good news at their
favorite restaurant, Bella Saratoga. Over dinner, Dave asked Ashley to
marry him and gave her with a ring. It was the perfect romantic
evening.

Well, not exactly perfect. As they were leaving the restaurant, they
noticed a man sitting at a table having dinner. It was Robert Schiro.

"What can you do?" Dave asked. "We just left. Like I said, this really
is a small town."

On May 5, 3:41*pm, Anton Berlin wrote:
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_150174....mercurynews.c....

It only took Ashley Jackson's friends a couple of weeks to lead police
to the silver BMW they believe plowed into her bicycle on Highway 9 in
Saratoga last spring. Her fiance remembers seeing the big sedan stop
for a moment and then barrel away, leaving the 25-year-old college
student broken, bleeding and brain damaged.

It took a full year of relentless networking, leafleting and digging
by her friends, her attorney and the police to bring the owner of that
BMW, Robert Schiro, to court on charges of felony hit and run and
driving with a suspended license.

During that year, as Schiro's car sat impounded in a police evidence
lot and he insisted that he was not driving it the day of the
accident, the 70-year-old Saratoga man continued to live in his
hillside home and run his Santa Clara property management business.

Meanwhile, Jackson, once a competitive bike racer, has been fighting
to overcome her injuries, relearning to walk, to open and close her
left eye, to lift a bottle of shampoo.

"I'm still not me," she says.

Her fiance, David Nelson, who was riding with her the day of the
accident, says the months of waiting have been agony. "There's no
closure," he said. "You're sitting there, and the guy is out free."

The turns these three lives have taken since that warm and terrible
spring day — with Schiro due in court this week and Jackson expecting
her first child in August — show how even the darkest

Ashley and Dave met through cycling in 2007. She was riding by Peet's
Coffee in Willow Glen when Dave, a biotech engineer, yelled that she
should shift gears.

"I didn't know if he meant to shift up or down," she said. They struck
up one of those magical conversations and he invited her to go riding.
It was the start of a love affair.

On April 19 of last year, Ashley took a break from studying for exams
at West Valley College to go bike riding with Dave. They left their
Willow Glen home around 2:30 and were heading back on Highway 9 near
Fruitvale Avenue in Saratoga around 5 p.m. The road is four lanes wide
and flat, with bike lanes.

Dave, 42, was riding in front of Ashley. Suddenly he felt something
slap his left elbow and realized it was the side mirror on a passing
BMW, dangling from the car. "I start screaming at the top of my lungs.
The guy pulls over a bit, pauses and then gases it and takes off. I
turn around, and she's in the road."

Ashley was twisted up in her bike frame. She was bleeding, making a
gurgling sound and both eyes were rolling up in the back of her head.

"I thought she was going to bleed out on me right there," Dave
recalled.

'I need to find this guy'

Sheriff's deputies asked Dave for a description of the car. He didn't
catch the license plate, but he knew the make and model: a silver BMW
745 or 750Li, probably a 2006.

"You been on bikes 25 years, you become very observant."

Ashley had bleeding in the brain stem, broken ribs and collarbone. For
72 hours, her family didn't know if she would make it. As soon as she
was stabilized, Dave began contacting relatives and friends in the
biking community.

"This is a hit and run," he said. "I need to find this guy."

Their friends handed out 5,000 fliers and raised $11,000 for a reward.
They asked area BMW dealers and body shops to look out for a BMW 7-
series with a busted mirror.

Dave was confident he would find the driver.

"This is a small town," he said. "The guy is out there and someone has
seen him. Someone knows him."

Within a few weeks, their work apparently paid off. According to court
records, the sheriff got a tip that Robert Schiro had inquired about
replacing the mirror on his 2006 BMW 750Li. The caller said Schiro
wanted the work done at his home and asked that the parts be purchased
out of town because his girlfriend had hit a parked car and he didn't
want to report it.

On May 15, sheriff's deputies found a silver 750Li in Schiro's garage
with a broken mirror and scratches on the front door and fender.

Schiro, through his attorney, Guy Jinkerson, declined to comment on
the case.

Court records show that Schiro's license had been suspended after a
DUI conviction in 2008, so he wouldn't have had a legal license on the
day of the accident. Schiro denied he was involved, and there were no
witnesses to place him at the scene.

But Saratoga is a small town, and other witnesses came forward to say
Schiro had admitted he had been at the wheel. On April 8, he was
arrested. He is scheduled to enter a plea Friday.

Short-term goals

Ashley's recovery has been slow. She has had to relearn how to use the
left side of her body. Washing her hair was a monumental task. "The
weight of the wet hair became too heavy for my weak arm," she said.

She had to work at lifting a frying pan, making a bed. Her left eye
wouldn't open. She has come a long way and even rides on a tandem bike
with Dave. But she has no medical insurance and can't afford to
continue physical therapy.

Ashley used to dream about finishing college and having a career.
These days, her goals are short-term, and they change day to day.

"You check washing your hair off the list and focus on the next item;
you check off walking a block, even if it takes hours longer than it
should," she said. "Perseverance becomes your hope."

Dave is just grateful she's alive.

"I've been racing a bike for 25 years and I've been on too many
memorial rides," he says. "This time, I don't have to go to her
memorial."

Now she and Dave have something happy to look forward to: They are
expecting a baby in August.

On New Year's Eve, they went out to celebrate the good news at their
favorite restaurant, Bella Saratoga. Over dinner, Dave asked Ashley to
marry him and gave her with a ring. It was the perfect romantic
evening.

Well, not exactly perfect. As they were leaving the restaurant, they
noticed a man sitting at a table having dinner. It was Robert Schiro.

"What can you do?" Dave asked. "We just left. Like I said, this really
is a small town."

I say put his ass on a bike, give him a good push, then run his sorry
ass over with a BMW.
Coz

On May 5, 4:41*pm, Anton Berlin wrote:
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_150174....mercurynews.c....

It only took Ashley Jackson's friends a couple of weeks to lead police
to the silver BMW they believe plowed into her bicycle on Highway 9 in
Saratoga last spring. Her fiance remembers seeing the big sedan stop
for a moment and then barrel away, leaving the 25-year-old college
student broken, bleeding and brain damaged.

It took a full year of relentless networking, leafleting and digging
by her friends, her attorney and the police to bring the owner of that
BMW, Robert Schiro, to court on charges of felony hit and run and
driving with a suspended license.

During that year, as Schiro's car sat impounded in a police evidence
lot and he insisted that he was not driving it the day of the
accident, the 70-year-old Saratoga man continued to live in his
hillside home and run his Santa Clara property management business.

Meanwhile, Jackson, once a competitive bike racer, has been fighting
to overcome her injuries, relearning to walk, to open and close her
left eye, to lift a bottle of shampoo.

"I'm still not me," she says.

Her fiance, David Nelson, who was riding with her the day of the
accident, says the months of waiting have been agony. "There's no
closure," he said. "You're sitting there, and the guy is out free."

The turns these three lives have taken since that warm and terrible
spring day — with Schiro due in court this week and Jackson expecting
her first child in August — show how even the darkest

Ashley and Dave met through cycling in 2007. She was riding by Peet's
Coffee in Willow Glen when Dave, a biotech engineer, yelled that she
should shift gears.

"I didn't know if he meant to shift up or down," she said. They struck
up one of those magical conversations and he invited her to go riding.
It was the start of a love affair.

On April 19 of last year, Ashley took a break from studying for exams
at West Valley College to go bike riding with Dave. They left their
Willow Glen home around 2:30 and were heading back on Highway 9 near
Fruitvale Avenue in Saratoga around 5 p.m. The road is four lanes wide
and flat, with bike lanes.

Dave, 42, was riding in front of Ashley. Suddenly he felt something
slap his left elbow and realized it was the side mirror on a passing
BMW, dangling from the car. "I start screaming at the top of my lungs.
The guy pulls over a bit, pauses and then gases it and takes off. I
turn around, and she's in the road."

Ashley was twisted up in her bike frame. She was bleeding, making a
gurgling sound and both eyes were rolling up in the back of her head.

"I thought she was going to bleed out on me right there," Dave
recalled.

'I need to find this guy'

Sheriff's deputies asked Dave for a description of the car. He didn't
catch the license plate, but he knew the make and model: a silver BMW
745 or 750Li, probably a 2006.

"You been on bikes 25 years, you become very observant."

Ashley had bleeding in the brain stem, broken ribs and collarbone. For
72 hours, her family didn't know if she would make it. As soon as she
was stabilized, Dave began contacting relatives and friends in the
biking community.

"This is a hit and run," he said. "I need to find this guy."

Their friends handed out 5,000 fliers and raised $11,000 for a reward.
They asked area BMW dealers and body shops to look out for a BMW 7-
series with a busted mirror.

Dave was confident he would find the driver.

"This is a small town," he said. "The guy is out there and someone has
seen him. Someone knows him."

Within a few weeks, their work apparently paid off. According to court
records, the sheriff got a tip that Robert Schiro had inquired about
replacing the mirror on his 2006 BMW 750Li. The caller said Schiro
wanted the work done at his home and asked that the parts be purchased
out of town because his girlfriend had hit a parked car and he didn't
want to report it.

On May 15, sheriff's deputies found a silver 750Li in Schiro's garage
with a broken mirror and scratches on the front door and fender.

Schiro, through his attorney, Guy Jinkerson, declined to comment on
the case.

Court records show that Schiro's license had been suspended after a
DUI conviction in 2008, so he wouldn't have had a legal license on the
day of the accident. Schiro denied he was involved, and there were no
witnesses to place him at the scene.

But Saratoga is a small town, and other witnesses came forward to say
Schiro had admitted he had been at the wheel. On April 8, he was
arrested. He is scheduled to enter a plea Friday.

Short-term goals

Ashley's recovery has been slow. She has had to relearn how to use the
left side of her body. Washing her hair was a monumental task. "The
weight of the wet hair became too heavy for my weak arm," she said.

She had to work at lifting a frying pan, making a bed. Her left eye
wouldn't open. She has come a long way and even rides on a tandem bike
with Dave. But she has no medical insurance and can't afford to
continue physical therapy.

Ashley used to dream about finishing college and having a career.
These days, her goals are short-term, and they change day to day.

"You check washing your hair off the list and focus on the next item;
you check off walking a block, even if it takes hours longer than it
should," she said. "Perseverance becomes your hope."

Dave is just grateful she's alive.

"I've been racing a bike for 25 years and I've been on too many
memorial rides," he says. "This time, I don't have to go to her
memorial."

Now she and Dave have something happy to look forward to: They are
expecting a baby in August.

On New Year's Eve, they went out to celebrate the good news at their
favorite restaurant, Bella Saratoga. Over dinner, Dave asked Ashley to
marry him and gave her with a ring. It was the perfect romantic
evening.

Well, not exactly perfect. As they were leaving the restaurant, they
noticed a man sitting at a table having dinner. It was Robert Schiro.

"What can you do?" Dave asked. "We just left. Like I said, this really
is a small town."

why the hell couldn't the cops locate the driver ? they had better
things to do like 69-ing their cars, swapping stories and doughnuts ?

In article 61f688fb-4f9a-4cf1-b0fa-
,
says...


http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_15017432?IADID=Search-
http://www.mercurynews.com-www.mercu...nclick_check=1

It only took Ashley Jackson's friends a couple of weeks to lead police
to the silver BMW they believe plowed into her bicycle on Highway 9 in
Saratoga last spring. Her fiance remembers seeing the big sedan stop
for a moment and then barrel away, leaving the 25-year-old college
student broken, bleeding and brain damaged.

It took a full year of relentless networking, leafleting and digging
by her friends, her attorney and the police to bring the owner of that
BMW, Robert Schiro, to court on charges of felony hit and run and
driving with a suspended license.

During that year, as Schiro's car sat impounded in a police evidence
lot and he insisted that he was not driving it the day of the
accident, the 70-year-old Saratoga man continued to live in his
hillside home and run his Santa Clara property management business.

Meanwhile, Jackson, once a competitive bike racer, has been fighting
to overcome her injuries, relearning to walk, to open and close her
left eye, to lift a bottle of shampoo.

"I'm still not me," she says.

Her fiance, David Nelson, who was riding with her the day of the
accident, says the months of waiting have been agony. "There's no
closure," he said. "You're sitting there, and the guy is out free."

The turns these three lives have taken since that warm and terrible
spring day — with Schiro due in court this week and Jackson expecting
her first child in August — show how even the darkest


Ashley and Dave met through cycling in 2007. She was riding by Peet's
Coffee in Willow Glen when Dave, a biotech engineer, yelled that she
should shift gears.

"I didn't know if he meant to shift up or down," she said. They struck
up one of those magical conversations and he invited her to go riding.
It was the start of a love affair.

On April 19 of last year, Ashley took a break from studying for exams
at West Valley College to go bike riding with Dave. They left their
Willow Glen home around 2:30 and were heading back on Highway 9 near
Fruitvale Avenue in Saratoga around 5 p.m. The road is four lanes wide
and flat, with bike lanes.

Dave, 42, was riding in front of Ashley. Suddenly he felt something
slap his left elbow and realized it was the side mirror on a passing
BMW, dangling from the car. "I start screaming at the top of my lungs.
The guy pulls over a bit, pauses and then gases it and takes off. I
turn around, and she's in the road."

Ashley was twisted up in her bike frame. She was bleeding, making a
gurgling sound and both eyes were rolling up in the back of her head.

"I thought she was going to bleed out on me right there," Dave
recalled.

'I need to find this guy'

Sheriff's deputies asked Dave for a description of the car. He didn't
catch the license plate, but he knew the make and model: a silver BMW
745 or 750Li, probably a 2006.

"You been on bikes 25 years, you become very observant."

Ashley had bleeding in the brain stem, broken ribs and collarbone. For
72 hours, her family didn't know if she would make it. As soon as she
was stabilized, Dave began contacting relatives and friends in the
biking community.

"This is a hit and run," he said. "I need to find this guy."

Their friends handed out 5,000 fliers and raised $11,000 for a reward.
They asked area BMW dealers and body shops to look out for a BMW 7-
series with a busted mirror.

Dave was confident he would find the driver.

"This is a small town," he said. "The guy is out there and someone has
seen him. Someone knows him."

Within a few weeks, their work apparently paid off. According to court
records, the sheriff got a tip that Robert Schiro had inquired about
replacing the mirror on his 2006 BMW 750Li. The caller said Schiro
wanted the work done at his home and asked that the parts be purchased
out of town because his girlfriend had hit a parked car and he didn't
want to report it.

On May 15, sheriff's deputies found a silver 750Li in Schiro's garage
with a broken mirror and scratches on the front door and fender.

Schiro, through his attorney, Guy Jinkerson, declined to comment on
the case.

Court records show that Schiro's license had been suspended after a
DUI conviction in 2008, so he wouldn't have had a legal license on the
day of the accident. Schiro denied he was involved, and there were no
witnesses to place him at the scene.

But Saratoga is a small town, and other witnesses came forward to say
Schiro had admitted he had been at the wheel. On April 8, he was
arrested. He is scheduled to enter a plea Friday.

Short-term goals

Ashley's recovery has been slow. She has had to relearn how to use the
left side of her body. Washing her hair was a monumental task. "The
weight of the wet hair became too heavy for my weak arm," she said.

She had to work at lifting a frying pan, making a bed. Her left eye
wouldn't open. She has come a long way and even rides on a tandem bike
with Dave. But she has no medical insurance and can't afford to
continue physical therapy.

Ashley used to dream about finishing college and having a career.
These days, her goals are short-term, and they change day to day.

"You check washing your hair off the list and focus on the next item;
you check off walking a block, even if it takes hours longer than it
should," she said. "Perseverance becomes your hope."

Dave is just grateful she's alive.

"I've been racing a bike for 25 years and I've been on too many
memorial rides," he says. "This time, I don't have to go to her
memorial."

Now she and Dave have something happy to look forward to: They are
expecting a baby in August.

On New Year's Eve, they went out to celebrate the good news at their
favorite restaurant, Bella Saratoga. Over dinner, Dave asked Ashley to
marry him and gave her with a ring. It was the perfect romantic
evening.

Well, not exactly perfect. As they were leaving the restaurant, they
noticed a man sitting at a table having dinner. It was Robert Schiro.

"What can you do?" Dave asked. "We just left. Like I said, this really
is a small town."

If the facts in the article are accurate, Shiro should be prosecuted to the
fullest extent the law allows. If he is found guilty, the judge should take into
consideration his attempt to hide his involvement, his subterfuge in
repairing his BMW and his evidently total lack of remorse. Taking all this
into consideration, the Judge should impose the maximum sentence with jail
time and significant restitution to the victim.

Interpretation: Fry the guy.