Villanova socialite, 77, sent to prison for hit-and-run

Suzanne K. Lammers, the Main Line woman who pleaded guilty this summer to a hit-and-run car accident, was taken to jail Thursday after being sentenced to at least 90 days in prison.

During an hour-long hearing in Norristown, Montgomery County Judge William R. Carpenter ordered Lammers, 77, to start her sentence immediately.

Lammers then sagged onto the defense table and seemed physically ill. Shaking, she asked the sheriff for a wastebasket and threw up into it.

The judge said he had chosen jail over house arrest because of Lammers' initial failure to come forward after the accident on July 15, 2009.

"In a sense, she's been running and hiding ever since. Now she's trying to evade the consequences that the legislature intended for this crime," said Carpenter, who set the maximum prison time at 23 months.

After three months of incarceration, Lammers will be eligible for parole for the remaining 20 months of her sentence, followed by a year of probation. She must also perform 200 hours of community service.

Lammers is a Villanova socialite whose daughter's wedding was featured in the New York Times in April. In the article, Lammers was quoted as saying: "I do not have a computer. I much prefer having a butler."

Three months later, she admitted in a court hearing that she had hit and critically injured then-13-year-old Andrew Mallee of Bryn Mawr as he rode his bike at noontime near the intersection of New Gulph Road and Morris Avenue in Bryn Mawr. Lammers told investigators that she had pulled over initially, but had driven home when police sirens flustered her.

She hid her gold 2002 Volvo station wagon in her garage, with a blue blanket covering a large hole in the windshield, according to court records.

A tipster guided police to her door, according to court testimony, but even then, Lammers told investigators that the damage had come from a collision with a deer on July 24, 2009.

Mallee, now a freshman at Harriton High School in Rosemont, suffered a broken leg and head injuries, police said. He has recovered, but has trouble with balance and hearing in his right ear, his mother, Linda Todorow, testified.

Todorow, 41, said the long recovery and uncertainty over the injuries' lasting effects had turned the family's life upside-down.

"It's been a constant worry," she testified. "I'm watching him play and he falls, and my heart stops."

Testifying to Lammers' character was the Rev. Judith Sullivan, who depicted her as a longtime member of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Bryn Mawr and active in charity and Bible studies.

"Mrs. Lammers is known to be a kind and good-hearted person who would never knowingly hurt anyone," Sullivan said.

But in his closing argument, Montgomery County Deputy District Attorney Thomas McGoldrick scoffed at the notion that Lammers was considerate of others.

"Not until later, when police confront her, does she finally admit to being involved in the crash. . . . A caring and compassionate person doesn't do that," he said.

Lammers' counsel, Philadelphia lawyer Frank DeSimone, argued that good character, advanced age, and a previously clean record should qualify Lammers for house arrest.

Carpenter said he realized that Lammers came from "privilege and affluence," but "this court does not hand out house arrest without compelling reasons."

"Even nobles," the judge said, must be held to account for misdeeds.

Mallee's father, Fran Mallee, 42, expressed satisfaction after the hearing.

"We think that justice was served. The appropriate sentence was given," he said. "My son forgives her for anything that was caused. We hold no ill will and hope the best for her."

McGoldrick said outside the courtroom that he felt the jail term was proper, "given her utter lack of remorse or compassion as the days evolved."

Lammers was charged with being involved in an accident causing serious injury, a third-degree felony carrying a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine.

A less serious offense, failing to stop and render aid, was merged into the felony, law enforcement officials said.

The Mallee family has filed a civil suit, which is expected to progress now that the criminal matter is resolved.