No jail time for former Maine corrections officer sentenced in deadly crash of 9-year-old

CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Maine (WMTW) - A Former Cumberland County corrections officer will not spend time in jail after being found guilty of manslaughter.

Prosecutors said Kenneth Morang caused the death of a 9-year-old girl following a crash in July 2019.

Morang was driving home after working two consecutive double shifts at the Cumberland County Jail when his pickup truck crashed into a family van.

9-year old Raelynn Bell was trapped in the vehicle. She died several days later from traumatic brain injuries.

In court Monday, Morang apologized to Bell’s family.

“I will never get to watch my daughter grow up,” Raelynn’s mother Charity Chillington said. “She is forever missed, forever loved and always remembered and now it’s time for Raelynn to rest in peace knowing that her life mattered.”

“I would never ask for forgiveness from the family because I can’t forgive myself. You know. Life happens and it’s horrible and I feel terrible,” Morang said.

The prosecutors wanted him to spend at least 18 months in prison.

The judge’s sentence also includes four years probation, during which time he is not allowed to drive.

He was ordered to pay a five-thousand dollar fine and perform 200 hours of community service.

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