Judge Natalie Bokota sentenced an emotional Adrianne Hancock to four years’ probation Tuesday for fleeing after she hit a man in a Hammond Strack & Van Til parking lot. There was no evidence you did it on purpose, the judge said. “But he died,” Hancock responded. Deputy Prosecutor Lindsey Lanham said in court that in her discussions with victim Justin Fanslau’s family that they forgave her and didn’t want prison time, partially because it would hurt the grandson, now 6, Hancock was raising. Justin Fanslau, 51, of Bloomingdale, Illinois, was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center and died nine days later on Nov. 23, 2020, from blunt force injuries to his head and neck, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner. Hancock, 56, of Hammond, pleaded guilty in October to leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death or catastrophic injury, a Level 4 felony. She faced up to four years in the Lake County Community Corrections program. Hammond Police responded about 5 p.m. Nov. 14, 2020, to the grocery store, 115 Sibley Street, in north Hammond. The crash was caught on video. Hancock hit Fanslau as she was driving toward the exit. She got out, looked at him, then took off. A witness tried to follow Hancock, but couldn’t keep up safely when she sped off. Investigators traced her through the vehicle, her sister’s, and her debit card that she just used to buy groceries. When police first interviewed her, she claimed she didn’t remember the crash. None of Fanslau’s relatives were able to attend Tuesday’s hearing. Tessie Jackson, Hancock’s daughter, asked for leniency, saying her mother “never meant for anything like this to happen.” Lanham asked for a split sentence, with two years each in Lake County Community Corrections and probation. Fanslau would have died if she had stayed. Leaving was the “bad decision,” she said. Her criminal history was before 2001. As she noted Fanslau’s son, who made the call to take him off life support forgave her, Hancock started to briefly wail. Did the family want jail time, Bokota asked. No, they felt it was a hardship on her family, Lanham replied. Defense lawyer Lonnie Randolph II said it was “very unfortunate” and “sad.” Hancock was a “law-abiding” person. She was “someone who just panicked,” he said. “I don’t know if there’s a plan B for (the boy),” he said. Randolph thanked Fanslau’s family, noting their mercy was still relatively rare. Hancock told the court she thought about what happened constantly. If it had been her son, “I would want somebody to stay there and hold his hand,” she said. “This family has forgiven you,” Bokota told her. “Your challenge going forward is to forgive yourself.” mcolias@post-trib.com ...read more read less