Family Believes DUI Drug Penalties Need Tighter Guidlelines After Son Killed in Crash

SOUTH JORDAN, Utah — Marty and Staci Stout say their 13-year-old son, Baylor was well-loved by the community around him, partly because of the person he was.

“I think the reason that he had so many good friends, is he was a good friend,” Marty Stout said. “He constantly thought about others, and how to make other people happy.”

The Stouts say Baylor was the most extroverted of their four sons. They say he looked out for others, and helped his friends make good choices.

“He was the first to stand up and say, ‘I don’t think we should do that. Let’s go do this instead,’” Staci Stout explained. “And since we’ve lost him, many of his friends are feeling that too, and we feel that he was that center for them. He was their compass.”

 

Baylor was killed last July, while he and his father were driving along highway 89, on the southeast end of Utah County. 31 year-old Kali Hardman veered into oncoming traffic, striking the Stout’s vehicle, head-on. Hardman has since pleaded guilty to driving without insurance, and driving with marijuana in the body and causing a death.

Staci Stout says that 2nd charge is a 3rd degree felony, because Utah laws don’t have specific guidelines for illegal drugs, in DUI cases.

“When a driver is pulled over for drugs, where’s the threshold?” Staci Stout said. “Is it a trace amount? Is it a large amount? What indicates that that person is driving impaired?”

The Stouts are hopeful that Utah lawmakers will hear their story, and make changes. They also share their story, in hopes that others will think twice before getting behind the wheel.

“She could have made a decision not to drive,” Marty Stout said. “If by raising awareness, we could prevent just one family from going through that, that would be worth it for us.”