A Sarasota courtroom closed the book this week on a fatal crash that happened more than three years ago on one of the Suncoast’s busiest roads. Marty Thomas Pennell was sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by 10 years of probation after pleading to vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter charges, according to the State Attorney’s Office for the 12th Judicial Circuit. The crash occurred on July 29, 2023, on U.S. 41 near Ringling College of Art and Design.
Sarasota Police said Pennell was riding north at more than 100 miles per hour shortly after 11 p.m. when he hit the motorcycle driven by Vincente Matom-Cobo. Matom-Cobo was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, where he died from his injuries. Pennell’s blood-alcohol level tested at 0.069 about six hours after the crash.
The U.S. 41 corridor near the college carries thousands of students, commuters, and beach-bound drivers every day, and the case has focused attention on speed and impaired driving on that stretch of road. For Matom-Cobo’s family, the sentence ends a long wait for resolution. What do you think should be done to make U.S. 41 safer for motorcyclists and everyone else who uses it?
