Carlton Troutman Gets 45-Month Stayed Sentence In Hit-And-Run Crash That Injured Kyla Avant

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A Flint, Michigan man has been sentenced to a 45-month stayed sentence in the hit-and-run that injured a teenage girl who was attempting to board a school bus earlier this year.

On Friday, a judge handed the sentence to Carlton Troutman, who last month pleaded guilty to second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon in connection to the Jan. 23 incident.

The verdict indicates that, so long as Troutman abides by the conditions of his probation, he should not serve prison time. He will however have to complete a year in the Hennepin County workhouse. He has already served about a third of that time.

Troutman was accused of driving around a bus before striking 17-year-old Kyla Avant with his car. He then sped off and fled the state. A warrant was issued for his arrest on March 11. Two days later, he was arrested in Michigan and eventually brought back to Minnesota.

The victim was taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries. She recently told WCCO that the collision sent her flying into the air and that she thought she was paralyzed. Despite major obstacles, however, she has made a strong recovery.

Wearing an orange jumpsuit, Carlton Troutman listened to Kyla Avant’s mom and grandmother give victim impact statements. Karen Turner had just dropped her granddaughter off at the bus stop that morning before receiving a call telling her Kyla had been hit.

“I said, where’s the car? They said it drove off. That really hurt. Someone would just hurt my child and leave her on the street like trash,” Karen said.

Carly Turner was on the West Coast for work when she found out her daughter was lucky to be alive. She believes the sentence Troutman received isn’t fair.

“That was a day we’ll never forget, to get those calls,” Carly said. “I am really angry. I don’t understand how one person could do this to another person.”

In the courtroom, Troutman briefly addressed Kyla and her family.

“Just that I apologize to the victim’s family and I hope they can forgive me,” Troutman said.

Kyla didn’t give a victim impact statement in court, but afterwards she talked about her future and moving on.

“I think about it every day. Probably won’t stop, but I know it will get better with time,” Kyla said.

Kyla is planning to attend the University of Manitoba this fall, but she said she won’t forget the people who have helped her move forward.

“I’m very excited for the next chapter of my life. I feel like I will go on to do great things,” Kyla said.

“It shook us but it didn’t break us. And that’s what coming here today meant,” Karen said.