No Jail Time for Ludwig After Guilty Plea to Reckless Homicide

John Ludwig pleaded guilty to reckless homicide in a Greenville courtroom Monday morning, but will serve no jail time.

Judge Judge James C. Williams Jr. sentenced Ludwig to five years probation, suspended to three years probation. Ludwig must also serve 500 hours of community service.

The 13th Circuit Solicitor's Office recommended the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for Ludwig on this reckless homicide charge. The murder charge against Ludwig has been dismissed.

Solicitor Bob Ariail said the following after the sentencing of John Ludwig: "We strongly believed, as an advocate, that Mr. Ludwig deserved an active prison sentence and urged the Judge to impose the maximum ten year sentence. We were shocked at the sentence imposed. However, Retired Judge James Williams, who was specifically appointed by the Chief Justice to handle this case, is ultimately responsible for determining the proper punishment. He considered everything we presented and made his decision, and I have no doubt he fairly and thoroughly considered the evidence and imposed the sentence he felt was correct."

Solicitor Bob Ariail says DNA on the airbag of the Maserati confirms Ludwig was behind the wheel in April when his car crashed into the home of Frederic Bardsley in Travelers Rest. Ariail says Ludwig was the only person in the vehicle.

In court, Ariail says the chief legal counsel of SDI, Ludwig's former company, was traveling in front from of Ludwig when Ludwig passed him on the left pulled in front of him and went off the right side of Roe Ford Road. The posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour and is posted no passing.

Ariail says experts determined Ludwig was traveling at least 85 miles an hour when the accident happened.

Ariail says in court that Ludwig has 24 traffic citations - most cited as speeding by Ariail - since 1992. Ludwig's attorney says all but two of the speeding violations were 10mph above the posted limits for those offenses.

Ludwig's attorney says alcohol or drugs did not play a role in what happened when he crashed his car into the Bardsley home on on April 25, 2009. The defense introduced several witnesses to address the character of Ludwig before Judge Williams Jr.

Ludwig's family and friends were in court to testify to Ludwig's character.

Police say Ludwig was driving more than 85 mph and lost control of his Maserati April 25. The car sped across a field before plowing into the back of 62-year-old Frederic Bardsley's home. Bardsley was killed. His wife, who was upstairs, was unhurt, and Ludwig suffered minor injuries.

Ludwig's attorneys have said their client lost control after swerving to miss several deer.