WHEELING – A Florida man was sentenced Monday for causing an accident that resulted in the death of Wheeling Police Lt. William Goldbaugh last summer.
Volusia County Circuit Judge Patrick Kennedy sentenced Kevin Nash to 20 years in prison after he pleaded no contest to DUI manslaughter and DUI with serious bodily injury charges.
Goldbaugh lost his life on July 18, after his vehicle and Nash’s collided on a Florida interstate. Nash, 25, of Silver Springs, Fla., was driving a minivan the wrong way on Interstate 95 when he slammed into Goldbaugh’s vehicle, killing the 25-year Wheeling police veteran.
Goldbaugh, 46, had recently announced his retirement and was vacationing with his family when the crash occurred.
Wheeling Police Chief Robert Matheny, as well as other members of the Fraternal Order of Police, were present in the courtroom.
“No matter what the sentence, this can’t bring him back,” Matheny said today.
Matheny went on to commend the efforts of the Florida State Highway Patrol and the prosecution in securing the sentence. He also saluted the bravery of the Goldbaugh family, whose presence in the courtroom he described as “standing up in difficult times.”
Wheeling Police Deputy Chief Martin Kimball said that while the sentence does not erase the loss and pain, it offers comfort to know Nash is being punished for his actions.
“Like most tragedies, you focus on the good times and carry them with you,” Kimball said. “People say that tragedies like this are one in a million, but somebody has to be that one. Bill Goldbaugh was that one.”
Goldbaugh, who leaves behind a wife and four children, had accepted a position at Glenville State College in Glenville, W.Va., where he was to oversee the criminal justice program.
