EVERETT — Teri Cantor is reminded of Johnothan Bagley’s drug addiction and selfish actions every time she stands too long or faces a flight of stairs.
The scars on her legs won’t let her forget. Her new life makes it impossible to forget. Cantor can longer be a medical assistant, a job she loved. She can’t stand longer than two or three hours without her heels burning in pain. They were shattered when Bagley slammed head on into her car in the Lowell neighborhood.
Cantor is nervous driving or riding in a car. She can’t watch “The Fast and the Furious” movies anymore. The crash scenes leave her breathless, panicky.
Her life is changed. Bagley, 29, did that to her.
Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Bruce Weiss on Wednesday sentenced Bagley to five years in prison for the 2012 crash. The judge made sure that Bagley will serve that sentence on top of the 7½ years he’s already serving for dealing drugs and trying to outrun police in another case.
“I hope those scars on her body are embedded in you,” Weiss told Bagley.
The judge made Bagley recite back how his actions changed Cantor’s life. Weiss handed the Everett man a copy of Cantor’s letter that detailed her injuries and how she has struggled since the crash. He told the convicted felon to hang onto the letter. Maybe it will be what he needs to beat his drug addiction once and for all.
“You need to remember what your actions did to Ms. Cantor,” Weiss said.
Bagley may never overcome his drug addiction, the judge said. He better learn that he should never drive if he is high or drunk, Weiss said.
Bagley was out of jail six days when he plowed into Cantor’s car.
He was awaiting sentencing for a string of crimes. He told the judge Wednesday that he bailed out of jail because he didn’t want to go through drug withdrawals.
He was high on methamphetamine at the time of the crash. He’s been an addict since he was a teenager.
He’s clean now, he said. Bagley apologized to Cantor.
His parents also apologized to the petite woman after Wednesday’s hearing. She hugged them back.
People make mistakes, and those mistakes can be hard-learned lessons, Cantor said.
“It’s obvious he is not learning from his mistakes,” she told the judge.
Yet, Cantor is a forgiving person. She hopes Bagley can overcome his addiction, she said. She hopes he can make his father proud, finally.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet;com. Twitter: @dianahefley.
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